Camille Gordon, 23, was stabbed to death outside the Blue Bunny Club in London’s Soho on 1 March 2004.
Police believe her killer was an angry customer of the club, known as a “clip joint” because it charged people large sums of money for spending only a few minutes with its hostesses.
Born in Jamaica, Camille came to the UK in 2001 and studied in Birmingham for several years before moving to London to work part-time at the club to help fund her dream of becoming a nursery school assistant.
She was not involved in the sex trade but was tasked with enticing men into the club by giving them the impression they would be able to take part in some kind of sexual activity.
Shortly before the murder she was working at the door in Archer Street when a man approached her at 6.20pm and paid the £5 entry fee. After spending around 10 minutes in the club he was handed a bill of around £375 when he tried to leave at 6.35pm.
It was eventually agreed, following a dispute with staff, that he would pay £80. The man then left.
He walked towards the junction with Rupert Street but returned to the club shortly afterwards, only to back away with his hands raised after seeing a different member of staff at the door.
Half an hour later at 7.10pm, after Camille had returned to stand in the doorway, the killer – believed to be the same male customer – walked up to the club and stabbed her in the heart. She screamed and staggered down the stairs to tell her colleagues she had been stabbed in the chest.
The emergency services were alerted but she died of her injuries an hour later despite their efforts to save her life.
CCTV cameras captured a grainy image of a man running from the club towards Great Windmill Street and Shaftesbury Avenue.
CCTV cameras also captured the suspect entering Piccadilly Circus Tube station shortly after the murder. He was described as black, aged 20 to 25 and betwee 5 ft 5 and 5ft 8 inches tall.
He was wearing a dark jacket with a large ‘Cleveland Indians’ logo on the front, dark jeans, white trainers and a hat believed to be a baseball cap.
During subsequent police appeals, Detective Andy Mortimer said: “Camille appears to have been deliberately targeted by a customer who was angry about having been ripped off.”
The detective described clip joints as a “massive loophole” at the time because they were legitimate businesses that do not serve alcohol or provide sex shows and have terms and conditions posted on the walls.
DI Mortimer said Camille was “one of many girls employed to stand on the street outside the clubs”.
“These girls are drawn into working at the clip clubs because they can make a lot of money very quickly. One of our theories is that Camille was working at the Blue Bunny to fund her teaching course.”
Camille’s mother told the Evening Standard that her daughter was “a wonderful, happy, upbeat kind of person who loved to dance and made so many people happy.”
The family said they wanted to make sure that clip joints would be closed down for good, adding: “We are worried that other men will do the same thing, and more girls will be murdered.”
In 2007 clip joints were reclassified as sex establishments under the London Local Authorities Act and by September that year the number of clubs operating in the area had been reduced from eight to two.
During a renewed police appeal in 2024, following the 20th anniversary of the murder, the Metropolitan Police offered a £20,000 reward for information and issued previously-unreleased CCTV images and video.
Detectives also appealed for a potential witness to get in touch. Two days after the murder, on 3 March 2024, a man attended Kennington Police Station and asked to speak to a detective about a murder at the Blue Bunny Club. However, he left before the CID officer got there and he never returned. He was described as white, about 35 years old, about 5 ft 8 inches tall, of skinny build with defined cheek bones and light brown hair.
The case was featured on BBC’s Crimewatch in October 2024.
It may have been more than 20 years since Camille was brutally murdered, but her family remain just as heartbroken today. They want answers and they want the person responsible for Camille’s death brought to justice – this is something we want too and we have not given up trying to get that for them. This is why we are now offering a £20,000 reward for information that leads to the successful charge and conviction of the person responsible.
A lot can happen in 20 years, allegiances can change. Maybe you felt unable to talk to us at the time, for whatever reason, but you are now in a position to do so. Maybe you saw the attack or you were at the club or in the area at the time of the murder? Maybe the person responsible has since confided in you? I would urge you to share whatever information you have with us – it will be treated in the strictest confidence and could bring much needed closure to Camille’s family.
Detective Inspector Amanda Greig from the Met’s Specialist Casework Team
Anyone with information is asked to call the incident room on 020 8785 8267. Information can also be submitted online to the Public Portal (mipp.police.uk) or anonymously via the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.