By Gavin Mackintosh-
A 23-year-old university student who murdered his housemate in what a judge described as a “carefully planned and cold-blooded execution” has been sentenced to life imprisonment, with a minimum term of 28 years, at Bristol Crown Court.
Zack Coughlan(pictured) was convicted of murdering Jamie Collins, 21, in Filton, South Gloucestershire, after carrying out a brutal attack that left his fellow student with more than 30 stab wounds. The killing, which followed weeks of preparation, was described in court as a calculated and deliberate act.
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The court heard that Coughlan dressed entirely in black, wore a ski mask and gloves, and waited in the garden for Collins to return home. He had reportedly lain in wait for more than 20 minutes before launching the attack, stabbing his housemate repeatedly as he arrived at the property. A post-mortem examination later confirmed that Collins had sustained more than 30 wounds to his front, back and neck.
Mr Justice Linden, who sentenced Coughlan, said the evidence showed that the murder had been carefully planned. The judge noted that Coughlan had spent weeks preparing for the attack, including purchasing dark clothing and searching online for disturbing terms such as “what corpse looks like”. Coughlan had also installed CCTV at the property, and footage captured the events surrounding the killing.
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Following the murder, Coughlan fled the scene using Collins’ bicycle and disposed of evidence before returning home at about 9pm. In a chilling sequence of events presented to the court, he then put a pizza in the oven and played online games with friends. He did not contact the police until after 2am, when he claimed to have discovered Collins’ body.
Coughlan initially denied the murder , but later changed his plea to guilty before the jury retired to consider its verdict. During the trial, he claimed that he had acted out of fear, alleging that Collins had expressed violent, anti-capitalist views.
However, Collins’ family strongly rejected his account, describing his evidence as “excruciating” and “full of lies”.
In passing sentence, Mr Justice Linden paid tribute to Collins, who was in the final year of his robotics degree. The judge said Collins’ friends had unanimously described him as an exceptionally kind and considerate person, adding that they felt privileged to have known him and were heartbroken by his death.
The victim’s family also spoke of the devastating circumstances surrounding the killing. Collins’ stepmother, Lisa Collins, suggested that Coughlan’s alleged fear was rooted not in any threat posed by Jamie, but in his own insecurities and concerns about the relationships within their social circle.
“I believe Zack Coughlan did feel threatened by Jamie,” she said. “Not because Jamie ever threatened him, but because of Zack Coughlan’s own insecurities and the reality that Zack Coughlan’s friends were gravitating more towards Jamie.”
The case has laid bare the disturbing extent of the preparation behind Collins’ murder, from the purchase of clothing and online searches to the installation of CCTV and the alleged disposal of evidence. The court’s description of the killing as a carefully planned execution underscored the seriousness of the crime.
Coughlan will remain in prison for a minimum of 28 years before he can be considered for release on licence. The sentence marks the conclusion of a case that has left Collins’ family and friends grieving the loss of a young man remembered for his kindness, consideration and promise.
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