Man who stabbed Scots mum to death in Australian home while high on drugs jailed for life

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A man who murdered his Scottish mother by stabbing her 62 times while high on drugs at their home in Australia has been jailed for a minimum of 20 years. Carol Ann Cameron, 63, originally from Uphall, West Lothian, was killed by her son Callum Cameron at her house in Perth in August 2020.

The cancer care nurse had called paramedics over concerns her son had overdosed on the plant-based psychedelic drug DMT. Cameron, 31, went on trial accused of his mother's murder at the Supreme Court of Western Australia earlier this year.

He admitted manslaughter but denied he intended to murder her and claimed he was in a state of delirium at the time due to drugs. Judge Justice Joseph McGrath ruled Cameron was aware of his actions and found him guilty of murder.

He has now received a life sentence with no possibility of parole for 20 years. His sentence has been backdated to August 2020, when he was first taken into custody. The court heard the mother and son argued after Cameron refused to get in an ambulance with the medical staff when they arrived at the property.

He told his mother to "f**k off" before attacking her with a knife in the kitchen. One of the paramedics said he heard Ms Cameron shouting "no, no, don't, stop," before she crawled into the living room while her son continued to stab her.

A police officer who arrived on the scene said he found Cameron sitting on a couch, with blood on his hands, looking "remarkably calm". Ms Cameron was rushed to the Royal Perth Hospital by paramedics but could not be saved. The cause of death was identified as multiple stab wounds to the face, neck and body.

In his 56-page judgement, Justice McGrath said: "The accused inflicted 62 stab wounds to the deceased's face, neck, chest, back, arms, hips and legs. The extent of the injuries is significant for the reason that it supports a finding that the purpose of the accused was to cause the death of the deceased.

"This was not a spontaneous act of picking up a knife and stabbing the victim once. The accused went to the kitchen, retrieved a suitable weapon and then inflicted a prolonged, brutal attack on the deceased. I accept that the killing was not premeditated. Rather, I find that the accused became angry and acted with purpose by inflicting the violent attack."

The trial was conducted without a jury due to the complex medical evidence involved. Cameron's legal team said he had no memory of the incident and had not set out to harm his mother. The court was told the issue for the judge to decide was whether Cameron's use of the psychedelic drug meant he lost his grasp on reality and did not have the capacity to form an intent to murder.

Justice McGrath said: "I have been mindful that intoxicated persons do not always behave in the same way as sober persons. However, having taken that fact into account, I am satisfied that the accused had the capacity to form an intent, and in fact did so."

In a statement released following her death, Ms Cameron's family said: "Carol Ann Cameron, 63, is originally from Uphall, West Lothian, and attended Broxburn Academy. She travelled widely after leaving school and had lived in Australia since the 1970s.

"She was a much-loved mother, partner, sister, auntie and friend, who worked as a nurse and had spent much of her career in cancer care. We are all devastated by what has happened."

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