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Crime

23rd Dec 2021

Man stabbed brother to death for shouting at family dog and refusing to apologise to it

Steve Hopkins

William Campbell discussed the protocol of his arrest as his younger brother was dying of a stab wound to the chest

A man stabbed his brother to death for raising “his voice” at the family dog and refusing to apologise to the animal.

William Campbell, 26, knifed younger brother Samuel in the chest after they argued in their mum’s back garden in Silksworth, Sunderland where police and ambulance crews later found the 24-year-old lying in a pool of blood.

Bodycam footage from 18 June shows Campbell calmly admitting he stabbed Samuel “out of rage” and claiming that his brother was “coming for him”.

Bizarrely, Campbell then quizzed the officer on the “protocol” of his arrest, as his brother lay dying.

He tells an officer: “I stabbed him out of rage.”

The cop replies: “You’re under arrest.”

Campbell asks: “What does that entail? I understand the protocol but what does that entail? What do I have to do?”

In the footage, paramedics can be heard desperately trying to save Campbell’s brother who was later pronounced dead at the scene.

Campbell, of Stokesley, North Yorkshire, denied murder but was this week found guilty following a week-long trial at Newcastle Crown Court.

He is now in custody awaiting sentencing on January 5.

Jurors heard Campbell attacked his brother after they argued because Samuel had “raised his voice to the dog”.

Campbell claimed he wanted Samuel to “apologise” to the dog for shouting at it, but instead plunged a knife into his chest.

Detective Chief Inspector Jane Fairlamb, of Northumbria Police, said the case was “terribly sad” and had resulted in a family being “torn apart in the most devastating of circumstances.”

He added: “William made the decision to pick up a knife after an argument with his brother, and by doing so, he has ruined more than one life forever.

“There is never an acceptable excuse to pick up a knife as a weapon and this tragic case has no winners. Our thoughts remain with Samuel’s family at this most poignant of times. “I sincerely hope this acts as a reminder to everyone about the potential dangers of carrying a knife – and the severe consequences that can follow.”

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Topics:

Crime,Dog,Murder