Southsea and Waterlooville males slammed over “senseless” decision to bring knife on night out used to kill

Cameron Hamilton, 18, was fatally stabbed in Bournemouth town centre by Thomas Betteridge, 18, of Southsea, during the early hours of Saturday 5 August, 2023.

Betteridge was found guilty at the Bournemouth Crown Court trial of manslaughter and possessing a bladed article. He was cleared of murder. He was sentenced to nine years jail with an extended licence period of a further three years. Lennie Hansen, 18,  of Waterlooville, is due to be sentenced on Friday 3 May after admitting a charge of possessing a bladed article.

The fatal incident occurred around 1.25am after an altercation in The Square between the defendants and Mr Hamilton and his group of friends. Police arrived on the scene seconds after Cameron had been stabbed by Betteridge.

But despite the efforts of officers and paramedics who subsequently attended, Cameron was pronounced dead at the scene. Betteridge and Hansen were subsequently located and arrested in the area of the Lower Gardens.

Detectives from Dorset Police’s Major Crime Investigation Team (MCIT) led the investigation and enquiries revealed Hansen had brought the knife with him to Bournemouth on the night of the incident and had hidden it behind a bench due to the heavy police presence in the vicinity.

After an altercation broke out in The Square involving the defendants and Cameron’s group of friends, Betteridge retrieved the knife and used it to stab his victim.

Detective Chief Inspector Neil Third, of MCIT, said: “The extremely sad death of Cameron Hamilton is another shocking demonstration of the truly devastating consequences of someone choosing to carry a knife and another young man’s senseless decision to use it.

“We remain steadfastly committed to doing all we can to work with our partners and communities to raise awareness of the awful impact of knife crime and take firm action against those found to be carrying knives on our streets.

“Our thoughts will remain with the family and friends of Cameron Hamilton, who have suffered the most unimaginable loss as a result of this heinous crime, and I again want to thank them for the support they have given throughout the investigation and court process as well as the dignified way they have conducted themselves throughout what must have been an extremely difficult few months.”