Jury shown CCTV of fatal Filton garden attack on robotics student
A jury in Bristol Crown Court has been shown CCTV of the fatal attack on Jamie Collins, a 21-year-old robotics student, in the garden of his home in Filton. His housemate, Zack Coughlan, 23, accepts killing him but denies murder, making the question of his intent and state of mind central to the trial.
Prosecutors say Coughlan ambushed Collins shortly before 6pm on 8 April and stabbed him repeatedly, then cycled away on Collins’s bicycle. They allege he later disposed of his clothing, returned home and reported the stabbing to police at 2.07am; footage showed him entering the garden with a torch a minute earlier. The pair had previously disagreed about rent, though prosecutors said those disputes had been resolved. Coughlan is expected to claim he lost control and feared for his life, while prosecutors describe the killing as planned.
- CCTV of Collins’s fatal attack was shown to jurors.
- Coughlan admits killing him but denies murder.
- Prosecutors say the attack was planned; the defence disputes that account.
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Jamie Collins was a 21-year-old robotics student who shared a home in Filton with Zack Coughlan. Coughlan accepts that he killed Collins, but denies murder, so the trial is examining his intent and state of mind.
The two men had disagreed about rent, although prosecutors say those disputes had been resolved. Coughlan is expected to say he lost control and feared for his life; prosecutors say the killing was planned. The jury must assess the evidence to decide which account it supports.
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The case for
The defence can argue that accepting responsibility for the killing while denying murder reflects a genuine dispute about intent and state of mind, rather than denying the harm caused. If Coughlan lost control and believed he faced imminent danger, the jury should consider whether that account means he is not guilty of murder, even though the attack was fatal.
The case against
The prosecution can argue that the repeated stabbing, alleged ambush and subsequent actions—including leaving on Collins’s bicycle and disposing of clothing—support the conclusion that the killing was deliberate and planned. On that account, earlier disagreements provide context but do not explain away the evidence of intent, and the charge of murder is justified.
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Originally published by Daily Mail as “Jury is shown CCTV of moment student ‘stabs university housemate 30 times in garden of their home before leaving him to die’”.