A 22-year-old British man has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of Mohammed Algasim, a 20-year-old Saudi Arabian student who was fatally stabbed outside student accommodation in Cambridge. Chas Corrigan received a life sentence with a minimum term of 22 years and six months at Cambridge Crown Court, following his conviction for the murder that occurred in August 2025, as reported by the BBC.
Details of the Attack
The court heard that Algasim had traveled 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 stated that Corrigan had been drinking alcohol and taking drugs earlier that evening. During the trial, he admitted to consuming several alcoholic drinks and taking cocaine before heading toward the station.
Corrigan told the jury that 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. However, prosecutors argued that 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.
Legal Proceedings and Sentencing
Corrigan denied murder and claimed that 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, aged 50, was sentenced to two years in prison after pleading guilty to assisting an offender. Cambridgeshire Police reported that 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 stated that he helped his son avoid arrest by allowing him to hide at a property in Holbrook Road.
Impact and Investigation
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 stated that losing Mohammed had left "a deep void" in their lives and that nothing could bring him back.
