A man who killed 20-year-old Saudi student Mohammed Algasim has been sentenced to life in prison. 22-year-old Chas Corrigan fatally stabbed Algasim in the neck outside student accommodation in Cambridge in August 2025.
Corrigan, a construction worker from Cambridge, was found guilty of the "unprovoked and senseless" act following an evening of drinking and drug use.
At the Cambridge Crown Court, he received a life sentence with a minimum term of 22 years and six months after a jury deliberated for two hours to reach a guilty verdict.
Corrigan, who was 21 at the time, claimed to have been carrying a kitchen knife for protection after experiencing a previous attack.
He approached Algasim's group, allegedly asking for a lighter, but later asserted that shouting from the group prompted him to walk back toward them.
The incident, captured on CCTV, showed him approach the group before the stabbing took place.
Although he denied the murder charge, he admitted to possessing a bladed article, asserting he waved the knife to scare but not injure anyone.
The prosecution provided compelling evidence, including CCTV footage of the stabbing, eyewitness accounts, and pathology evidence, to argue against Corrigan's self- defence claim.
Cheryl Williams, the Crown Advocate, emphasised that the act was a fatal and cruel expression of violence, leaving a haunting impact on Algasim's family.
In court, Algasim's father, Yousef Al Qasim, expressed his grief, stating he could not witness his son's achievements due to the tragedy.
Corrigan's father, Peter Corrigan, was also sentenced to two years in prison for assisting an offender after he was caught on CCTV disposing of blood-stained clothing worn by his son and helping him avoid arrest.
The judge acknowledged the family's devastating loss, with law enforcement officials reinforcing the seriousness of the crime and the profound implications for Algasim's loved ones.
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