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A student has admitted to murdering his housemate after stabbing him more than 30 times during a masked attack. Zack Coughlan, aged 23, admitted his guilt over the killing of Jamie Collins, 21, which took place on April 8. The fatal assault occurred in an alley near their home, where Collins’ body was left unattended for eight hours before police were contacted.
Initially, Coughlan pleaded not guilty to murder, leading to a trial at Bristol Crown Court. During the proceedings, he acknowledged causing Collins’ death but claimed he acted out of fear, believing his housemate intended to kill him. However, following a legal ruling that disallowed the defense of manslaughter by loss of control, Coughlan changed his plea to guilty and is scheduled for sentencing soon.
Jamie Collins, who was pursuing an engineering and robotics degree at the University of the West of England (UWE), was described by his family as a “sensitive and caring young man” with a strong passion for equality and inclusivity. They shared that he was eager to complete his final weeks of study and return home to Swansea, with hopes for a promising future. Collins was posthumously awarded a 2:1 degree, which his family accepted on his behalf.
The prosecution revealed chilling details of the crime, explaining that both men were final-year robotics students sharing a house in Filton, owned by Coughlan. After the brutal attack, Coughlan left Collins in the alley, disposed of evidence such as bloodstained clothes in a pond, and even cycled away Collins’ bike to get rid of it. The entire assault was captured on Coughlan’s own CCTV footage, including the moment he staged the discovery of the body. Detective Chief Inspector Lucy Edgeworth described the murder as a “meticulously planned, cold-blooded execution,” highlighting inconsistencies in Coughlan’s explanations and emphasizing the severity of the crime
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