Knife thug who tried to murder tourists outside Edinburgh hotel in 'frenzied' attack is jailed

Peter Cameron, 39, wounded his victims in the unprovoked attack as they were getting ready to return to Northern Ireland following a short break in Edinburgh.

Cameron stabbed Bernadette Lester 10 times in a four-second burst of violence as she stood outside the Apex Hotel in the city’s Grassmarket with her friend Gillian Clarke.

Mrs Clarke was then stabbed twice in the cheek and sustained injuries to her tongue and mouth.

A night porter at the hotel, Neil Robertson, was also wounded by the knife attacker as he went to the aid of the stricken guests.

‘Shocking and frenzied’ attack

A judge told Cameron at the High Court in Edinburgh: “This was a frenzied and shocking attack on three separate people which came from nowhere.”

Lady Scott said there was no background and no reason for the unwarranted attack and nothing to excuse Cameron’s conduct.

She pointed out that all three victims were severely injured and permanently disfigured by the assaults and the two woman friends and colleagues, who were nurses, were traumatised.

The judge imposed an Order for Lifelong Restriction (OLR) on Cameron, who has a record for violent crimes.

She ordered that he serve six years imprisonment before he becomes eligible to apply for release.

The judge told him that under the indeterminate sentence he must not assume he will be freed at the end of that period.

Cameron will only be released if the parole authorities decide it is no longer necessary for the protection of the public that he continues to be held in prison.

Cameron’s attacks on November 8th, 2018 were captured on CCTV as he approached the women in a threatening way before being told to “move on” and then returned to lash out with the knife.