A STUDENT from Co. Cork has been handed a life sentence for the murder of his house mate, who was described by his family as 'sensitive and caring'.
Zack Coughlan, 23, must serve at least 28 years in prison before he can be considered for release after killing 21-year-old Jamie Collins in Bristol, south-west England earlier this year.
Coughlan initially claimed he had found Collins at the bottom of the garden of the house they shared on Cleve Road but later confessed to killing his fellow student.
He maintained he acted out of fear, claiming he had been threatened by Collins, however, police found no evidence to support his claim.
Having previously denied murder on the grounds of having lost self-control, Coughlan pleaded guilty to murder on Tuesday on the seventh day of the trial.
He was sentenced today at Bristol Crown Court.
"Zack Coughlan repeatedly lied in order to protect himself and finally admitted his guilt yesterday after months of denial," said Detective Chief Inspector Lucy Edgeworth.
"He has received a life sentence for the ferocious murder he committed and will serve a minimum of 28 years behind bars."
Pizza and video games
Shortly after 5.45pm on Wednesday, April 8, Collins cycled home from university and was attacked in the back garden of his house on Cleve Road by a person dressed in black.
The young man sustained around 30 knife wounds and his injuries were described as 'unsurvivable'.
More than eight hours later, after spending the evening eating pizza and playing video games, Coughlan called police and said he had just discovered Collins' body.
ITV reports that Coughlan is half Danish and grew up with his family in Cork before moving to Bristol at the age of 19 to study.
When officers arrived, he told them the attack had been partly recorded on one of his security cameras and showed them the clip of the masked man.
Coughlan, who owned the property, suggested the attack may have been linked to an alleged incident four days earlier when he claimed to have disturbed two masked man in the alley behind the house, one armed with a knife, who were attempting to steal copper.
He told police that on the day of the murder, he had spent a lot of the afternoon and evening climbing trees in the park and sustained cuts and grazes after falling from one.
Coughlan added that he had been bleeding as a result and this had ruined his clothes, so he went to Sainsbury's to buy new ones.
CCTV clues
On the day of the murder, CCTV captured Collins leaving the house through the back gate on his bike to go to university.
Coughlan — who, like Collins, was a fourth year robotics student at the University of the West England — was later seen leaving the house in light clothing and walking along Cleve Road.
Around 45 minutes later, a camera further down the street showed a man dressed all in black and with his face covered walking in the opposite direction, towards the house.
The man then proceeded to walk around to the alleyway and waited for 20 minutes until Collins cycled home before attacking him.
The masked man was then seen on CCTV cycling away on Collins' bike, which was recovered a short distance away.
A further trawl of CCTV cameras showed Collins buying new clothes and binning his socks and a jacket he was carrying.
CCTV also helped narrow down where Coughlan had dumped the clothes he was wearing when he committed the murder — a duck pond about one-and-a-half miles from Cleve Road.
Police divers were deployed and found the clothes Coughlan wore both before and during the murder.
Threat claims
Forensic evidence, including the presence of Coughlan's blood being found on Collins' bike, led him to eventually admit to killing Collins but he claimed it was manslaughter.
Coughlan claimed that his friendship with Collins had deteriorated during the final year of their studies,with a key issue being the rent he was charging.
He said in court that Collins had threatened him with a knife on the night before the murder and that he had locked himself in his room to keep safe.
Couglan then claimed Collins made another threat towards him the next day before leaving for university.
However, a third housemate heard no altercations and in the hours before the murder, Coughlan was reportedly hanging out in the living room while Collins was still at home.
The alleged threats were also said to be out of character for Collins.
'Promising future'
"Coughlan made out he was scared of Jamie and said he lost control out of fear for his life," said DCI Edgeworth.
"Not a single shred of evidence to support that claim was found during our investigation and it was not an account he shared with police during three interviews after he was arrested."
She added: "In court Coughlan admitted to lying in the hours and days after the murder.
"Yet he still tried to turn the tables and blame Jamie for the vicious murder he committed, when Jamie is tragically no longer able to defend his name.
"Coughlan lied continuously to protect himself — whether it to be to police or his friends about what happened."
A statement from Collins' family described the support they received during the trial as 'truly overwhelming'.
"Jamie was a sensitive and caring young man," it added.
"His passion for equality stood out to everyone who knew him. His unapologetic inclusivity will be his legacy for all of us.
"Jamie was incredibly bright and he had a promising future ahead of him. He had only two pieces of coursework to complete for his robotics degree before he was going to come home in a matter of weeks.
"Jamie had accumulated enough results that he was awarded a 2:1 degree. We were pleased to see his friends collect their degrees, but it was another emotional and painful reminder of what we have lost."
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