Murderer loses sentence appeal for 'extinguishing life' of 'upstanding' Cameron Blair

The judge described the appelant's actions on the night of the murder as 'cowardly and callous'

Cameron Blair was today described by the judge as "a decent and upstanding young man; a young man who did nothing but seek to restore peace to a situation which was not of his making". File picture: Gavin Browne

A then-teenager who stabbed college student Cameron Blair to death, "extinguishing the life of a decent and upstanding young man", has failed in a bid to reduce the severity of his life sentence with a review after 13 years.

The Court of Appeal found that the trial judge had properly taken into account the defendant's lack of maturity, had set a sentence that was proportionate and had sufficient regard for mitigating factors identified by the defence. The three-judge court also dismissed a claim that by placing the review at 13 years, the judge had deprived the defendant of the right to apply for parole after serving 12 years.