Man who stabbed Cambridge Saudi student jailed for murder
The attack happened in August last year
Last updated 8 hours ago
A man who fatally stabbed a language student in Cambridge has been jailed for his murder.
Mohammed Algasim, 20, was studying English at the EF International Language Campuses when his body was found in Mill Park in August last year.
Chas Corrigan, 22, was found guilty by jurors after a trial at Cambridge Crown Court earlier this year.
At the same court, Corrigan was sentenced to 22 years and six months in prison.
During the trial, jurors saw CCTV footage of an altercation between Mr Algasim and Corrigan outside student accommodation near Cambridge's train station before he was stabbed on the night of August 1, 2025.
Nicholas Hearn, prosecuting, told jurors that Corrigan walked away heading to the station.
Mr Hearn said Abdullah Bin Shuail - a fellow student - said he heard Mr Algasim say something to the defendant but "could only make out one word, 'centre',", before Corrigan turned back round towards the group.
He said Mr Bin Shuail saw Corrigan punch Mr Algasim on his neck, and "then saw that the defendant was holding a large knife in his right hand".
The court heard Mr Algasim died of a single stab wound to the neck.
In a statement read to the court on behalf of Mr Algasim's father Yousef Al Qasim by a relative, he described his son as the “right hand and pillar of our household” who hoped to become an engineer.
He said the shock of Mr Algasim’s death has been “overwhelming” to deal with and that his family still gets messages from strangers affected by his loss.
“We are a peaceful family with no history of criminal involvement or conflict,” he said.
“No member of our family has ever caused harm to others or had any experience with prison or the criminal justice system."
Violence 'beyond understanding'
A victim impact statement from Mr Algasim's sister read by a family member said he was "not simply my younger brother, he was my friend and my source of reassurance.
"Whenever I faced a situation, I would call him; his voice brought me comfort," she said.
"Even now, I cannot comprehend the brutality of what happened.
"The scale of his violence is beyond understanding; life without Mohammed is no longer the same."
Barrister Ruby Shrimpton, prosecuting, said blood and urine sample tests taken around 18 hours after the attack showed Corrigan was taking cocaine and cannabis.
Mr Hearn said earlier in the evening of the attack, Corrigan had carried a knife to the Earl of Derby pub.
Asked by defence barrister Jane Osborne KC why he chose to take a knife to the pub, Corrigan said he had "bad issues with people in that area".
Ms Osborne had told jurors that Corrigan had no intention of harming Mr Algasim.
Summing up, judge Mr Justice Dexter Dias KC told the court Corrigan carried a kitchen knife stretching 13cm in length on the night of the attack.
The judge said that "I am sure he (Corrigan) had a knife with him to use as a weapon, driven by alcohol-fuelled anger".
Mr Justice Dias said Corrigan had told the court "he had no malice" while carrying a knife, but that "his actions were violent and deliberately aggressive."
Hi-vis clothing found hidden in bin
At sentencing, Mr Hearn told the court that Peter Corrigan - Corrigan's father - said to officers that his son was not at his address and did not know where he was when they came looking for him.
He said Corrigan moved hi-vis clothing that his son had been wearing during the offence, which police later discovered in a communal bin store.
Peter Corrigan admitted assisting an offender on the basis he did not know that the offence his son had committed was a murder.
He's been jailed for two years.
Adam Shaw, mitigating for Peter Corrigan, said: “He would like to apologise to the family of the victim for his role in all of this.”
In a tribute made at the time of his death, Mohammed's family said he was "a young man brimming with enthusiasm, brimming with chivalry and courage.
"He was cheerful, chivalrous, pure of heart, quick to give, and passionate about others."