4.5-inch stab wound to neck: Drunk man, 22, jailed for life for attacking Saudi student in UK

A construction worker who stabbed a young Saudi student to death in an unprovoked attack in Cambridge, England, has been jailed for more than 22 years, the Daily Mail reported.Chas Corrigan, 22, was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 22 and a half years for the murder of Mohammed Algasim, 20, during a violent confrontation near the city center on August 1 last year.Algasim is taking an English language course in Cambridge and spending his third summer in the city. He died after being stabbed in the neck with a large kitchen knife.Sentencing, Judge Dexter Dias KC described the attack as an act of “senseless violence” fueled by alcohol, cocaine and anger.“Perhaps no one will understand why Chas Corrigan did what he did,” the judge said.He added: “It was actually senseless violence. It was fueled by alcohol, cocaine and anger.” It’s a deadly combination. Mohamed Algassem was an innocent member of the public. Much of his life awaited him. He was deprived of that, and so was his family. “Corrigan approached Algasim as he sat with friends outside a student dormitory. The two exchanged words and Corrigan initially walked away. However, after hearing further comments, which included the word “center”, he turned to face the student.Corrigan became aggressive, repeatedly asking, “What did you say? What did you say?”When Algasim stood up with his phone, Corrigan stabbed him in the neck and fled the scene.CCTV footage shown during the trial captured the moments after the attack, with the injured student running away in panic and Corrigan walking away, eventually starting his sprint.Algasim’s friends followed the 999 operator’s instructions and applied pressure to the wound in an attempt to save Algasim’s life. However, the next morning he collapsed and died.An autopsy found a 4.5-inch deep wound to his neck that severed a major artery.Corrigan denies murder and claims he acted in self-defence. He told jurors he thought Algasim was going to “hurt me” and insisted he did not realize he had attacked him with a knife.“I didn’t think I was going to hit him. I just thought I swung it. He was a step away from me and I thought I swung it between us,” he said during the trial.He also claimed he was carrying the knife for protection because he had been attacked before.Prosecutors, however, argued that Algasim posed no threat.“Mr Algasim posed no threat to anyone. The defendant was the aggressor here,” prosecutor Nicholas Hearn told the court.In March, a jury took just two hours to convict Corrigan.Corrigan had been drinking heavily and taking cocaine before the attack. He admitted to drinking several alcoholic drinks that night and taking cocaine twice.Muhammad’s father, Yousef Algasim, described the harrowing experience of losing his son.“I prepared him for life, not death,” he said.“Instead of witnessing his achievements, I was faced with the unbearable reality of coming to terms with his lifeless body.”He added that Mohammed’s mother was heartbroken by the tragedy.“She lived as if without a soul, with only the memory of his laughter, his presence in our house and his voice.”After the killing, Corrigan discarded the knife and his high-visibility jacket as he fled. His father Peter Corrigan later admitted aiding a criminal after helping to recover and process evidence relating to the crime.The 51-year-old was sentenced to 24 months in prison.