Student 'rewatched CCTV of him killing housemate'

A student who stabbed his housemate to death says he rewatched the CCTV footage of the attack five times in an attempt to "make sense of it all".

Zack Coughlan, 23, admits dressing in a black ski mask and gloves to ambush Jamie Collins, 21, stabbing him 32 times in the garden of their home in Bristol on 8 April.

Coughlan denies murder on the grounds he feared for his life, claiming Collins' political views became more extreme and he had allegedly made threats to kill him.

During the trial at Bristol Crown Court, Coughlan said stabbing his former friend was a "very last moment" decision, adding: "I tried to think of another solution."

The men were both final-year robotics students at the University of the West of England (UWE) and lived together in a house in Filton, owned by the defendant.

The court has heard tensions mounted over rent as Collins voiced his disdain for landlords and blamed multinational corporations for social inequality.

Coughlan suggested he was driven to kill Collins, originally from Swansea, after his left-wing views seemed to become more targeted and personal.

The day before the stabbing, Coughlan said he asked Collins to leave the house, which resulted in a tense confrontation while Collins was allegedly holding a knife.

Coughlan previously told the court: "He said what I had done was disgusting and that I was scum and he was looking forward to killing people like me."

Coughlan explained he did not relay the incident to police because "they didn't listen" when he reported several men pulling a knife on him in the garden four days prior.

Prosecutor Adam Vaitilingam KC suggested Coughlan could have instead travelled to his parents' home in Ireland or his grandparents in Plymouth.

"[Collins] knew everything about me. I would have been looking over my shoulder all the time," he answered, adding his parents' address was on the rental contract.

"Think about what you did instead – kill him," Vaitilingam replied.

"He would have done that to me. I protected myself," said Coughlan.

After Collins left for university on 8 April, the prosecution say Coughlan packed a "killer kit", including a black ski mask, gloves, black coat and a 15cm (5.9in) knife.

"I was barely able to think, I was broken," said the defendant.

"This was the only way I thought I could protect myself."

Coughlan then lay in wait in the alleyway for his friend to return home, stabbing him repeatedly as the entire ordeal was captured on a camera he had installed himself.

The court heard he later watched this footage five times, between 20:00 and 01:00 BST, in an attempt to "make sense of what was happening and disconnect".

The prosecution asked whether it was a "coincidence" that the armed men from his police report several days prior were wearing the exact same clothing as Coughlan.

"Either you have made up the story about the roadmen with knives so you've got someone to blame, or you dressed up as them to suggest it was them, and you took Jamie's bike to suggest he was robbed," Vaitilingam said.

"I lied and I'm sorry. I was just so confused and scared," Coughlan replied.

The jury were told there is no evidence that this group of men existed.

The defendant said, in hindsight, he should have "reached out" to someone for help if he feared for his own life.

"I shouldn't have done what I did, it was wrong," he said.

"I never wanted to hurt anyone in this malicious way. I never had any hatred or anger towards him. I didn't want him to die.

"It was the rationale that I had. I believed that if I had called police they wouldn't have come. My thoughts were wrong."

Coughlan left his housemate to die in the alleyway while he cycled away on the victim's bike, disposing of bloodstained clothing in a pond and buying food.

Asked why he did not call 999 until more than eight hours later, during which time he cooked a pizza and played video games, Coughlan said: "I had to disconnect – as you can see, my actions don't make sense."

"But your actions do make sense – you got rid of the evidence," Vaitilingam replied.

The trial continues.

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