Full Breakdown
Student Murder Trial Reveals Pre-meditated Attack in Bristol Home
By Drooid · · How we work
The Attack and Immediate Aftermath
On the evening of April 8, 23-year-old Zack Coughlan waited in the garden of a shared house in Filton, south Gloucestershire, and stabbed his 21-year-old housemate Jamie Collins 30 times. The assault occurred shortly before 6 p.m. after Collins returned from the University of the West England campus on his bike. Following the stabbing, Coughlan fled on the bike, discarded it at a nearby retail park, purchased new clothing and disposed of his blood-stained garments in a pond. He later returned to the house around 9 p.m., placed a pizza in the oven and spent time online gaming before calling emergency services at about 2 a.m., reporting that he had found Collins’s body.
Evidence Presented at Bristol Crown Court
The court heard that CCTV installed at the residence captured the attack, and that Coughlan initially presented himself to police as a witness, showing the footage. He sustained injuries to his hands, which he claimed resulted from a fall while climbing trees. The prosecution highlighted the sequence of actions—bike disposal, clothing change, and the delayed 999 call—as indicative of pre-meditation. The forensic record confirmed 30 stab wounds.
Prosecutor’s Narrative
Adam Vaitilingam KC, leading the prosecution, described how Coughlan’s role shifted from witness to suspect as evidence accumulated. He noted that Coughlan admitted to killing Collins but denied the murder charge, asserting he “lost his self-control.” Vaitilingam also pointed to prior disagreements between the two men over rent and perceived overcharging, though he said friends were unaware of any serious conflict.
Background of the Two Students
Both men were final-year robotics students at the University of the West England and co-owned the Filton house where they lived together. According to the court, they spent considerable time together both in person and online, engaging in gaming and typical student activities.
Potential Legal Outcome
Coughlan has pleaded not guilty to murder while acknowledging responsibility for Collins’s death. The trial remains ongoing, and the jury will later determine whether the charge of murder is supported by the presented evidence.