UK court sentences killer of Saudi student Mohammed Al Qassim to life in prison

Dubai: A British court has sentenced the killer of Saudi student Mohammed Al Qassim to life imprisonment, bringing to a close one of the most closely followed criminal cases involving a Saudi national in the United Kingdom.

Cambridge Crown Court on Thursday ordered Chaz Corrigan, 22, to serve a minimum of 22 years and six months before becoming eligible for parole after he was convicted of murdering the 20-year-old student during a fatal knife attack in Cambridge last year.

The court heard that Al Qassim, who was from Mecca, had travelled to the UK on a 10-week English language programme when he was stabbed in the neck near Cambridge railway station on the night of 1 August 2025. 

Prosecutors described the attack as an "unprovoked and senseless murder" carried out after an evening of heavy drinking and drug use.

Judge Dexter Dias said the severity of the crime, Corrigan's criminal history and his use of alcohol and drugs on the night of the attack justified the lengthy sentence.

The case drew significant attention in both Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom following the death of Al Qassim, who was studying at a language school in Cambridge and was described by his family as a devoted son, a loving brother and a young man with ambitions of becoming an engineer.

Jurors had convicted Corrigan of murder in March after rejecting his claims that he acted in self-defence. During the trial, prosecutors presented CCTV footage showing Corrigan approaching a group of students outside accommodation near the railway station shortly before the attack.

Evidence showed that Al Qassim had been sitting with friends when Corrigan approached carrying a kitchen knife. The defendant later admitted possessing the weapon but denied intending to kill, claiming he had carried it for protection after previous incidents and only wanted to intimidate those around him.

The court was told that Corrigan had spent the evening consuming alcohol and using cocaine before the attack. Prosecutors said he stabbed Al Qassim once in the neck, inflicting a wound measuring 11.5 centimetres deep. The Saudi student died almost instantly.

In a related ruling, the court sentenced Corrigan's father, Peter Corrigan, 50, to two years in prison after he pleaded guilty to assisting an offender. Prosecutors said he helped conceal evidence following the killing and assisted his son in evading police.

Cambridgeshire Police said CCTV footage captured Peter Corrigan removing the blood-stained high-visibility jacket worn by his son during the attack from bushes near the crime scene before disposing of it in a refuse bin. Investigators also said he helped his son hide at a property in Holbrook Road while police searched for him.

During Thursday's sentencing hearing, the court heard victim impact statements from Al Qassim's father, Yousef Al Qassim, and his sister, Shatha Al Qassim, who spoke of the devastating impact of his death on the family.