Bedford man gets life for fatal stabbing with 8-inch blade

A man who changed his clothing and cleaned the murder weapon to avoid being implicated in a fatal stabbing has been jailed.

Frederico Saurini, 52, was handed a life sentence with a minimum term of 14 years in prison after being found guilty of the murder of Kameron Campbell in Bedford last year.

The 26-year-old was stabbed to death by Saurini at an address in Palgrave Road following a row with a woman at the property.

Armed with an eight-inch blade, Saurini ‘threw himself’ at Mr Campbell, but later claimed to be unaware he had issued the fatal blow.

In a four-week trial at Luton Crown Court, a jury heard Mr Campbell was stabbed with such force that the blade entered the left side of his chest and emerged from his back

The court heard how the knife was cleaned and put back, before Saurini changed his T-shirt having noticed it had blood on it. He did not call the emergency services.

CCTV footage played at court showed Mr Campbell collapsing within metres of the address. He was later discovered by a member of the public who called for an ambulance.

Despite the best efforts of the emergency services, Mr Campbell was pronounced dead later that day.

In a tribute to Mr Campbell, his mum described him as “a loving, caring boy that would help anyone”.

In a victim impact statement read out in court, Mr Campbell’s dad said: “Kameron’s life ended in tragic circumstances, and it is our united sense of grief and loss and justice for him that brings us here today.

“Kameron was a much-loved son, grandson, brother, nephew, papa, boyfriend and friend, who loved the people in his life with passion.”

Sentencing Saurini at the Old Bailey today (Tuesday), His Honour Judge Michael Topolski KC described the case as “highly unusual and unusually tragic”.

He also commended the officers involved in the case, noting that the “handling of the investigation and the support for the families and witnesses involved was a model of its kind”.

Detective Inspector Richard Stott from the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit, who led the investigation, said: “While we are pleased with today’s result, we still acknowledge the enormous and lifelong impact this will have on Mr Campbell’s loved ones.

“Our thoughts remain with them today and we hope the severity of the sentence brings them some closure around this awful ordeal.

“While knife crime continues to fall in Bedfordshire, the trauma caused by these types of incidents is no less. Only this week in Bedfordshire we have again seen the tragic, heartbreaking consequences that can come from mindless violence involving weapons.

“Regardless of Saurini’s intentions, once you arm yourself with a blade, there will inevitably be hugely damaging consequences that will ruin lives. In this case, it has resulted in the death of Mr Campbell and a life sentence for murder for Mr Saurini.

“At Bedfordshire Police we will continue to arrest and imprison those that carry and use knives, while working with partners such as Bedfordshire’s Violence and Exploitation Reduction Unit to raise awareness of the devastating impact of knife crime.”

Recorded knife crime fell by around 14% in Bedfordshire in 2022/23 compared to the previous year, while over 4,100 weapons were handed into the county’s weapons bins last year – the highest number on record.