A 27-year-old man has been jailed for life for stabbing his grandmother to death in a brutal attack in Cornwall.   

Cameron Dancey-Stevenson, of no fixed abode, was told at Exeter Crown Court on Wednesday (30 August) he would serve a minimum of 18 years for murdering Alison Stevenson, 62, in a stabbing frenzy launched while she slept at home.

He is currently a patient at Langdon Hospital in Dawlish and was told he would only be freed on parole after serving the minimum term if he was no longer deemed a danger to the public.

A trial heard his grandmother had tried for years to help him overcome his "difficulties" and still "loved him" even after he had attacked her previously and been given a restraining order.

But on 25 May 2021, while holding a grudge over the order, he broke in through a window of her home in Helston, Cornwall, grabbed a knife from the kitchen and started stabbing her in the neck while she lay in bed.

After her death, Dancey-Stevenson then spent "many hours" trying to wash away evidence and blamed a "fictitious" man for killing her.

A statement from Marina Stevenson, the victim's daughter, was read to the court on behalf of the family.

She spoke of how the whole family had struggled to come to terms with losing such a loving woman to such a "brutal act."

She said: "This was made more devastating that it was you Cameron, her grandson, who she loved dearly.

"She did all she could to help you. She did live in fear of you and what you would do if you didn't get your own way.

"I hope you get the mental health support you need. I don't think anyone else can support you more than Alison did.

"As a family we will never forgive you for your actions. You are a selfish man who knew, as you always did, what you were doing.

"Alison was a daughter, sister, mother, aunt, niece, cousin and grandmother. She loved cooking, gardening and most importantly her family.

"Nothing was too much trouble for Alison and she would help everyone. Everyone that knew her talks highly of her."

In passing the minimum term, Judge Simon Carr said: "There was clear evidence that you were angry with her and blamed her for your predicament. You saw her as a cause of your problems - nothing could be further from the truth.

"The attack itself was truly brutal. Photos of injuries to the right of the neck are truly harrowing."