Southsea man jailed for killing of teenager after stabbing in Bournemouth town centre

A Southsea man who “bragged” to his friends about killing a teenager has been put behind bars after a town centre brawl turned into a fatality.

Thomas Betteridge, 20 from Southsea, appeared at Bournemouth Crown Court on Friday, May 8 after being found guilty of manslaughter and possessing a bladed article in a public place.

At around 1.25am on Saturday, August 5, 2023, teenager Cameron Hamilton, 18, was stabbed in The Square, Bournemouth, and despite emergency services being on the scene within seconds, was pronounced dead at the scene. Betteridge was arrested that same night.

He was previously convicted of manslaughter in March 2024, but the conviction was overturned after an appeal. A retrial was held at Bournemouth Crown Court and Betteridge was convicted of manslaughter for a second time on Wednesday, February 4.

The court heard how Betteridge “let out a childish giggle” after stabbing the teenager, and was heard by a witness telling friends that he “sliced him up”. The defence argued that Betteridge acted in self-defence.

Detective Superintendent Neil Third, of the major crime investigation team, said: “Cameron’s family has had to endure the horrific ordeal of losing their loved one and the strength and dignity they have shown throughout the lengthy court process has been to their immense credit.

“Throughout this period our investigation team has also remained committed to diligently compiling evidence for the various court hearings and worked with the Crown Prosecution Service to build a case that has ultimately resulted in a conviction and sentence.

“It is important as well to further recognise the efforts of officers who responded on the night, those who were on the scene within moments of the fatal stabbing and were with Cameron in his final moments, as well as those who responded swiftly to locate and detain the defendant.”

Betteridge was sentenced to eight years in prison.