image source, Bedfordshire Police
Kameron Campbell, 26, died of a single stab wound in Bedford on August 20 last year
A man who used an 8-inch hunting knife to protect his former partner during a confrontation has been jailed for life for murder.
Frederico Saurini, 51, stabbed Kameron Campbell, 26, at a Bedford home last August before claiming he was just trying to scare him.
He was sentenced at the Old Bailey and will serve a minimum of 14 years.
Bedfordshire Police said: “Choosing to carry and use a knife can have serious and devastating consequences.”
A four-week murder trial, at Luton Crown Court, heard that Mr Campbell allegedly threatened Saurini’s ex-partner in the kitchen of the Palgrave Road home, taking out a knife from his belt.
image source, South Beds . News Agency
Kameron Campbell collapsed after fleeing his Bedford home but died minutes later in hospital
Saurini, who was watching television in another room, pulled a hunting knife from a drawer when the argument between the woman and Mr Campbell spilled over into the garden, the court said.
He stabbed Mr Campbell once in the chest, and prosecutor Julian Evans KC described the level of violence as “to the most severe of the scale”.
The trial Mr Campbell tried to escape from home but collapsed.
He died at Bedford Hospital just before 19:00 BST on August 20, about 20 to 30 minutes after he was stabbed.
image source, Bedfordshire Police
Frederico Saurini stabbed Kameron Campbell to death, claiming he was defending his ex-girlfriend and wanted to “scare” the victim
Saurini, who denies murder and has given no evidence, previously told police: “I wanted to scare him. I was scared myself.”
In a police interview, the Italian man said he had “a breath or two” with his former partner that day.
In memory of Mr Campbell, his mother described him as “a lovely boy, caring and willing to help anyone”.
A victim impact statement from his father, read out in court, said: “Kameron’s life ended in tragic circumstances and it is his feelings of grief, loss and justice that unite. our for him brought us here today.
“Kameron is a much-loved son, nephew, brother, grandson, father, boyfriend and friend who always loves the people in his life.”
image source, South Beds . News Agency
Mr. Campbell collapsed near the property where he was stabbed and died a few minutes later
Det Insp Richard Stott, from the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit, said: “This is a truly tragic incident in which a young man has senselessly lost his life.
“[Saurini] passively waiting, the situation escalated, and in the meantime he made the conscious decision to equip himself with a lethal weapon and use it with such force that he Campbell was seriously injured.”
He added: “Choosing to carry and use a knife can have serious and devastating consequences.”
