A brutal incident in Cambridge has led to the conviction of a scaffolder for the murder of a Saudi student, whom he stabbed in the neck during an unprovoked nighttime assault.
The 22-year-old, Chas Corrigan, targeted Mohammed Algasim, a 20-year-old student, as he sat with friends outside a high-end accommodation building, engaging in light conversation.
An exchange of words occurred between the two, with Corrigan—under the influence of alcohol and cocaine—initially walking away. However, a subsequent comment from Mr. Algasim, which reportedly included the word “centre,” prompted Corrigan to return.
In a shocking escalation, Corrigan approached Mr. Algasim once more, who rose to his feet only to be stabbed in the neck with a large kitchen knife.
Disturbing CCTV footage captured the aftermath, showing Mr. Algasim, who was in Cambridge for an English language camp, fleeing in fear, while Corrigan initially tried to walk away but soon broke into a sprint.
Corrigan, a resident of Cambridge, later argued that he carried the knife for self-defense, citing prior attacks against him.
He denied murder, telling jurors he only lashed out as he thought his victim was going to ‘hurt me’ and had ‘no idea’ he had made contact.
But a jury took less than two hours to convict him of the offence.
Chas Corrigan, 22, was convicted of murdering Mohammed Algasim, 20, after a two-week trial
Mr Algasim was pronounced dead outside a block of luxury apartments in Cambridge just after midnight on August 2
Corrigan stood as he heard the verdict and showed no emotion.
The prosecution said they and the defence agreed sentencing could not take place today and would have to be postponed to a later date. A pre-sentence report will be prepared.
The CCTV of the attack on the night of August 1 last year was played on the first day of the trial at Cambridge Crown Court last month.
Corrigan stared straight ahead and showed no emotion as the footage showed Mr Algasim sitting outside the student accommodation near the city centre with fellow students and friends.
At about 11.30pm, Corrigan appeared in a high-visibility jacket and approached Mr Algasim, who was sitting on a low wall outside the entrance to the building.
The defendant approached and ‘went over to Mr Algasim and got within touching distance of him’.
After they spoke, the defendant walked towards the nearby train station and Mr Algasim said ‘something to the defendant but [witness and fellow Saudi student Abdullah Saleh A Bin Shuail] could only make out one word – ‘centre’.
Prosecutor Nicholas Hearn told the court: ‘The defendant turned and started to come back towards them… his right hand was in his right pocket…
Footage caught on CCTV shows Corrigan reaching into a pocket of his shorts where he had the knife used to kill Mr Algasim
‘He was saying “What did you say? What did you say?” in a very angry and aggressive way.’
Mr Algasim stayed where he was and Corrigan shouted ‘I know what that means’ before he bent down and ‘put his face very close to Mr Algasim’s face’.
Moments later, Mr Algasim then stood up, with his arms by his sides, and the defendant stepped back before plunging the blade into his neck.
Corrigan shouted ‘What are you going to do?’ to Mr Bin Shuail before running away.
Mr Algasim also ran down the road before collapsing and died at the scene in the early hours of the following morning, despite friends being given advice to apply pressure to the wound before paramedics arrived.
A post-mortem examination found the cause of death was a 4.5in deep wound to the neck which cut a vital artery.
During the trial, the court heard Corrigan admit he had taken cocaine twice that evening and had drunk about six pints of Guinness, one or two gin and tonics and several drinks containing vodka.
He claimed he was ‘merry, not drunk’ as he approached Mr Algasim and said he thought he had asked the student for a lighter.
Corrigan approached Mr Algasim, who had been sitting on a low wall where he was chatting and smiling with friends
Chas Corrigan, 22, had denied murdering the student, who was attending a language summer school in the historic city
Police cordoned off the area after the death of Mr Algasim, who was spending his third summer in the city
Describing the brandishing of the knife, he told jurors: ‘He just startled me. He was quite aggressive – the way he jumped up.’
He added: ‘I didn’t think I’d hit him. I just thought I’d swung it. He was a step away and I thought I’d swung it between us.’
But in his opening statement, Mr Hearn said: ‘Mr Algasim posed no threat to anybody. The defendant was the aggressor here…
‘This was an unprovoked and senseless act of violence. It was not an accident. It was not self-defence. It was murder.’
Corrigan, who threw away his high-vis jacket and the knife as he fled, was arrested the day after the killing.
Blood and urine samples confirmed he had been drinking and had used cocaine and cannabis, although toxicologists couldn’t say how much he had taken or the effect on him at the time.
His father, Peter, 50, was spotted on CCTV the day after the attack furtively looking through bushes before retrieving his son’s yellow jacket and has admitted assisting an offender. The men will be sentenced on separate dates.
Mr Algasim’s heartbroken family described him as a ‘calm, kind-hearted young man’ after his death and warned that foreigners were no longer safe in the UK due to the ‘rise in violent crime’.
His uncle, Majed Abalkhail, said: ‘We believe the country is no longer a safe destination for students or tourists.’
