UK Man Jailed for Life for Murder of Saudi Student in Cambridge

Chas Corrigan

A 22-year-old UK man has been jailed for life for the murder of Saudi Arabian student Mohammed Algasim, who was fatally stabbed outside student accommodation in Cambridge. Chas Corrigan was sentenced at Cambridge Crown Court to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 22 years and six months. The sentence follows his conviction for the murder of the 20-year-old student in August 2025, BBC reported.

The court heard that Algasim had travelled from Saudi Arabia to study English at a language school in Cambridge. On the night of the attack, he was sitting with friends near Cambridge railway station when Corrigan approached the group. Prosecutors said Corrigan had spent the evening drinking alcohol and taking drugs before carrying out the attack. During the trial, he admitted consuming several alcoholic drinks and taking cocaine before heading towards the station.

Corrigan told jurors he was carrying a kitchen knife for protection because he had previously been attacked. He claimed he initially approached the group to ask for a lighter and later returned after hearing shouting. According to his account, Algasim stood up moments before the stabbing occurred. However, prosecutors argued the attack was unprovoked.

CCTV footage shown during the trial captured Corrigan, wearing a high-visibility top, approaching the group shortly before Algasim was stabbed in the neck. Corrigan denied murder and claimed he had only waved the knife to frighten people rather than cause injury. Jurors rejected his account and found him guilty after deliberating for about two hours.

During the sentencing hearing, Algasim's father, Yousef Al Qasim, described the devastating impact of his son's death. "Instead of witnessing his achievements, I was confronted with the unbearable reality of receiving his lifeless body," he told the court. The judge also heard a statement from Algasim's sister, Shatha Al Qasim, which was read to the court by a family member.

Corrigan's father, Peter Corrigan, 50, was sentenced to two years in prison after pleading guilty to assisting an offender. Cambridgeshire Police said CCTV footage showed him removing a blood-stained high-visibility jacket worn by his son and placing it in a wheelie bin on August 2, 2025. Investigators also said he helped his son avoid arrest by allowing him to hide at a property in Holbrook Road.

Detective Chief Inspector Dale Mepstead, who led the investigation, said the sentence reflected the seriousness of Corrigan's actions. "Mohammed was a young man with his whole life ahead of him, and his death has had a profound impact on all who knew him," he said.

Following the conclusion of the case, Algasim's family said losing Mohammed had left "a deep void" in their lives and that while nothing could bring him back.