A 20-year-old man from Bournemouth has been sentenced to eight years in a young offenders institution for the manslaughter of 18-year-old Cameron Hamilton. Thomas Betteridge was sentenced at Bournemouth Crown Court on Friday, 8 May 2026, following a retrial.
The incident occurred in the early hours of 5 August 2023, when Cameron Hamilton died at the scene following a late-night altercation in The Square. Despite emergency services arriving within seconds and paramedics attempting to save him, his injuries proved fatal.
Betteridge was originally convicted of manslaughter in March 2024 and sentenced to nine years in custody. However, that conviction was later overturned on appeal, which led to the recent retrial. During the court process, Betteridge was acquitted of murder after claiming self-defence. Judge William Mousley KC noted that while Betteridge had felt a threat, the use of the knife was wholly unnecessary.
A second individual, 18-year-old Lennie Hansen of Waterlooville, was also involved in the incident. Hansen brought the 12.5cm knife used in the stabbing and was previously sentenced to 13 months for possessing a bladed article.
Following the sentencing, Dorset Police Detective Chief Inspector Neil Third commended the strength and dignity shown by the victim’s family throughout the legal proceedings. The family has since worked to prevent similar tragedies by campaigning through their charity, Changes Are Made. This initiative, supported by the Police and Crime Commissioner, focuses on educating young people about the consequences of knife crime.
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