Father of murdered Cork student condemns court ruling protecting killer’s anonymity

Cameron Blair’s father criticises the justice system, calling for stricter sentencing and greater accountability for offenders

Cameron Blair died after being stabbed in the neck at a house party on Bandon Road in Cork City on January 16, 2020. File photo

The father of a student murdered in Cork five years ago has said his family was “really disappointed” to learn that the young man convicted of his murder had won the right to remain anonymous following a court challenge.

Cameron Blair, a native of Ballinascarthy and a student at the then-Cork Institute of Technology (CIT), died after being stabbed in the neck at a house party on Bandon Road in Cork City on January 16, 2020.

Last week, the Supreme Court ruled that protections prohibiting the naming of a young man convicted of murdering Mr Blair should continue to apply throughout and beyond the conclusion of the proceedings relating to the case, including appeals.

The judgment overrules a landmark Court of Appeal decision permitting the naming of the young man, who is currently serving a life sentence and was just weeks away from turning 18 when he pleaded guilty to Mr Blair’s murder.

On Thursday, Cameron’s father Noel said that while the justice system usually moves quite slowly, his son’s case moved quickly because of the age of the killer.

“Six months, more or less, after Cameron was murdered, I was in the Central Criminal Court in Dublin, all because the criminals’ counsel can force the situation that he has to be prosecuted before he turns 18,” he said.

“We were so, so annoyed that.”

Mr Blair said the family are deeply disappointed by last week’s ruling.

“They [the criminals] run the roost, the system works in favour of them,” he said.

“This individual can’t be named, but every member of our family, from the youngest child to the great grandmother, there’s no anonymity there.”

Kathy and Noel Blair, parents of the late Cameron Blair, pictured at the Criminal Courts of Justice(CCJ) on Parkgate Street in Dublin. Picture: Paddy Cummins

He suggested there should be a one-year mandatory sentence for the first offence for possession of a knife or a harmful weapon with “no mitigating circumstances at all”.

He also said that criminals “play the system for months and possibly years before they even go to court”.

“They plead innocent up to the day they go to court. Then on the day they plead guilty, then the judge gives them a big reduction just because they pleaded guilty, even though it may be 12 months, 18 months later,” he said.

“Then they go to wherever they’re going, that’s if the judge doesn’t let them out on probation or whatever. They go to jail, then they’re a good little lad for a while, then the governor, he’ll let them out on a sort of a temporary release, which is effectively complete freedom.”

He said the “whole thing is watered down” and there is also no deterrent for offenders not to re-offend.

“They know the system - they got in front of the court, they cry that they’re found to drink or fond of drugs, that they have a bad family home and all this nonsense.

“So many people had hard times when they were young, but they don’t go out and murder people.” 

Mr Blair said it was his opinion that judges have the power to enforce the law and help solve the problem and that if this were done at an early stage, “then possibly we may see a change in the results.” 

Mr Blair told RTÉ Radio One that his son was “a compassionate fellow” who was “just starting to move forward” in life when he was murdered.

In the years since Cameron’s death, Mr Blair said his family has been comforted by the support of Cameron’s friends and the wider community.

“To this day, Cameron’s friends turn up at the house, they come over and visit us, which for young lads at that age, it’s very nice for us.”