University student gets life sentence for murdering housemate in masked garden attack

UPDATE - follow-up to Student who murdered uni housemate jailed for life:

The Sentencing

Zack Coughlan must serve at least 28 years in prison after admitting to the murder of his university housemate, Jamie Collins. Coughlan changed his plea to guilty at Bristol Crown Court while a trial was already taking place. Judge Justice Linden stated that the offender had planned the killing for some time and that his conviction was inevitable as the trial progressed.

The Attack

Coughlan wore a mask and black clothing to ambush 21-year-old Collins in the garden of their home near Bristol on 8 April after the victim returned from university. The assailant stabbed Collins 30 times and left him dying in an alleyway before cycling away on the victim's bicycle to get rid of bloodstained evidence. CCTV captured the entire incident, and the court heard that Coughlan later rewatched the footage five times, ate pizza, and played video games while waiting eight hours to call the police.

Family Impact

During the trial, Coughlan falsely claimed he acted out of fear because Collins had threatened him. The judge rejected this claim entirely, noting that Collins was a gentle person who disliked conflict. Lisa Jane Collins, the victim's stepmother, shared in a court statement that the family's lives are permanently broken, noting that Collins' father Rob could no longer work due to stress, causing his business to fail and leaving him in debt. Collins had only two coursework pieces left before finishing his studies and returning to his family in Swansea.

Context

Violent crime between university students living together is extremely rare, making premeditated attacks in shared student housing particularly shocking for local communities and academic institutions. Courts treat such breaches of trust within shared residences as severe aggravating factors during sentencing. Families of homicide victims often face long-term emotional and financial hardship following sudden tragedies.