Fatal Encounter in Cambridge
Mohammed Algasim's life was tragically cut short following an unexpected encounter with a stranger on a warm summer evening in Cambridge.
The 20-year-old student, who had travelled from Saudi Arabia to pursue studies in the UK, was fatally stabbed in the neck shortly after being approached by a man on 1 August.
CCTV footage captured Algasim running for his life, but despite efforts to save him, the languages student died within an hour due to the unprovoked knife wound.
The footage led police to identify one suspect: Chas Corrigan.
The 22-year-old construction worker was arrested at 13:30 BST the following day and charged with murder.
He has since been found guilty at Cambridge Crown Court and faces a life sentence.
Corrigan, who resides on Holbrook Road in Cambridge, was described in court by a friend as a "good boy" and "more like a baby" than aggressive.
However, something triggered him to commit murder that night against a complete stranger.
Mohammed Algasim was attending a 10-week summer school course at the EF International Language Campuses in Cambridge.
The location of the attack, Mill Park, near the main railway station, was calm shortly before 23:25.
Algasim was seated on a wall outside student accommodation, with one leg crossed and a bottle of water beside him, wearing a hoodie and baseball cap.
"Mr Algasim posed no threat to anybody," prosecutor Nicholas Hearn told the jury.
Corrigan, wearing a hi-vis hoodie, approached him.
Their interaction lasted approximately 13 seconds and appeared friendly before Corrigan walked away, but then he returned.
The pair can be heard on CCTV exchanging "huh" before Corrigan stooped and confronted Algasim closely.
Abdullah Saleh A Bin Shuail, who was with Algasim, testified that Corrigan approached with his hand in his pocket and appeared agitated.
"He said, 'What did you say? What did you say?'," Bin Shuail recalled. "He was talking loudly and in a threatening way."
Bin Shuail said Algasim stood up to face Corrigan, but they separated quickly, with Algasim fleeing on foot.
However, Algasim did not get far; he had sustained an 11.5cm-deep (4.5in) wound to his neck that severed a vital artery.
He collapsed on the pavement and despite assistance from three off-duty doctors, members of the public, and paramedics, he died at 00:19 on 2 August, 54 minutes after the encounter.
During the investigation, police found a hi-vis jumper discarded in a bin on nearby Vinter Terrace, where Corrigan's father lived.
They also recovered a silver kitchen knife with a 13cm (5in) blade near a bush.
A police appeal was issued to locate Corrigan, who was found following a tip-off from the public.
Corrigan, with no previous convictions, was charged with murder and possession of a knife in a public place, and detectives reconstructed his movements from the night before.
It was revealed he visited the Earl of Derby pub twice during what prosecutors described as "an evening of drinking and using drugs".
Between pub visits, Corrigan was let into a flat by friend Simona Miksykte, who became concerned about his behaviour.
"He was, like, touchy and pushy," Miksykte said.
"Normally, he is not like that. He is not, like, aggressive. He is a good boy. But that night - I don't know.
"When I was looking at him, he was, like, spaced out."
She described Corrigan as "grabby" and "confrontational" before he left and returned to the pub.
While at the pub on Hills Road, Corrigan told a man he was Irish and a member of the Rathmore Club, an Irish members' club in Cambridge.
Stephen Papillon, present at the pub, noticed Corrigan carried a knife.
"I got the impression that he was using that as a form of protection," Papillon told the trial, adding Corrigan claimed to have been shot and stabbed before.
Blood and urine tests later showed Corrigan had consumed alcohol and used cocaine and cannabis.
Prosecutor Hearn said Corrigan was described to police as "behaving crazily".
Evidence suggested Corrigan believed Algasim had "disrespected him in another language," leaving Algasim with "no chance."
From the witness stand, Corrigan admitted drinking about six pints of Guinness, one or two gin and tonics, and several vodka drinks.
He also acknowledged taking cocaine twice that night but claimed he was "merry," not drunk.
Corrigan stated he never intended to harm Algasim with the knife, asserting he waved it to intimidate and was unaware it had caused injury.
The jury rejected this defence, unanimously convicting him of murder after approximately two hours of deliberation.
Corrigan's denial means no explanation has been provided for why he stabbed Algasim.
Algasim's family described him as "a young man brimming with enthusiasm... chivalry and courage."
"Over time, he became the family's charisma, leaving behind an unforgettable legacy in every gathering," they added.
Corrigan's father, Peter, in his early 50s, has admitted assisting an offender related to Algasim's murder.
Both father and son await sentencing at a later date.
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