A Cambridge man has been convicted of murdering a young Saudi Arabian student in a random, unprovoked knife attack that took place outside student accommodation near the city’s railway station.
Mohammed Algasim, a 20-year-old on a ten-week English language placement in Cambridge, was stabbed in the neck and killed on the night of 1 August last year. He had never previously encountered his attacker. Chas Corrigan, 22, of Holbrook Road, Cambridge, was found guilty of murder at Cambridge Crown Court on Monday, having denied the charge while admitting to possessing the knife used in the attack.
The jury heard that Corrigan had been drinking in a pub and may also have used drugs before the incident. Prosecutor Nicholas Hearn described what followed as “an unprovoked and senseless act of violence” against a young man who “posed no threat to anybody.”
The sequence of events was captured in detail by high-quality CCTV footage recorded outside the student accommodation. The camera showed Algasim sitting on a low wall with a group of fellow students when Corrigan approached. A witness, Abdullah Bin Shuail, told the court he heard Corrigan say something to Algasim, though he could not make out the words or whether any reply was given. Corrigan then walked away in the direction of the train station.
Moments later, Bin Shuail heard Algasim call something after Corrigan, though he said he could only make out a single word — “centre.” That, the court heard, was enough to provoke Corrigan to turn back toward the group. Bin Shuail described Corrigan returning in a “very angry and aggressive way”, repeatedly demanding “what did you say, what did you say?” before striking Algasim hard on the left side of his neck and producing a large kitchen knife from his right hand.
Algasim died from a single stab wound that severed both the carotid artery and jugular vein, causing what the prosecutor described as “massive bleeding.” The two men had no prior acquaintance or dispute.
Corrigan is due to be sentenced on Wednesday. The case has drawn widespread attention given the entirely random nature of the attack on a young overseas student who had travelled to Britain for educational purposes.
