The key facts

  • Zak Coflan, 23, pleaded guilty to murdering housemate Jamie Collins, 21, who was stabbed more than 30 times on 8 April in Filton, Bristol.
  • Coflan staged the discovery of the body, destroyed evidence and called police only eight hours later; the judge rejected the 'loss of control' defence.
  • Sentencing will take place on Wednesday at Bristol Crown Court; police describe the murder as 'carefully planned'.

Guilty plea during trial

Zak Coflan, 23, of Cleve Road in Filton, pleaded guilty to the murder of 21-year-old Jamie Collins, changing his original defence position. The trial at Bristol Crown Court had been ongoing, as Coflan, while admitting he killed his housemate, denied the charge of murder and had argued before the jury that he attacked fearing Collins would kill him. The plea followed a ruling by the judge, Judge Linden, who decided that the partial defence — manslaughter by reason of loss of control — could not be left to the jury. Sentencing will take place on Wednesday.

Course of the attack and subsequent actions

According to the BBC, on 8 April Coflan ambushed Collins in an alley by the garden of their home as he returned from university and inflicted more than 30 stab wounds on him. Both were final-year robotics students at the University of the West of England (UWE) and lived in a house in Filton owned by Coflan. After the attack, Coflan rode the victim's bicycle to dispose of bloodstained evidence, dumped it in a nearby retail park, bought a change of clothes, and threw the bloodstained clothing into a pond in bags weighted with bricks. Returning home, he said he 'switched off' from what had happened: he ate pizza and played video games, and only called 999 five hours later, leaving the body lying in the alley for a total of eight hours. The entire attack was captured on a CCTV camera installed by Coflan himself, which also recorded him staging the discovery of the body; the jury was told he later rewatched the footage five times.

Investigation version and motive

Senior detective inspector Lucy Edgeworth of the major crime investigation unit said that 'all the evidence points' to a 'pre-planned, cold-blooded execution'. According to her, the motive 'is not clear': Coflan claimed his housemate's political views had become more radical and that he spoke of intending to kill him, but Edgeworth noted, 'We know there was a rent dispute. We know they had different political views. But none of that explains why someone would commit such a terrible crime.' She pointed to inconsistencies in the testimony, including Coflan's claim of hand injuries from climbing a tree, and reported that the defendant's blood was found on the victim's bicycle — likely he injured himself during the 'frenzied and horrific' attack. The bloodstained clothing from the pond was also forensically linked to Coflan. In a statement outside court, Edgeworth called the murder 'carefully planned' and said: 'Instead of calling for medical help, he did everything to protect himself. He feigned shock, and the lies continued — to police and to friends in the hours and days after the event.'

Victim's family reaction

Collins's family described him as a 'caring and compassionate' person who was 'looking forward to finishing his studies' at UWE and was due to return home to Swansea in a few weeks. They said his 'passion for equality' was remembered by everyone who knew him, and his 'uncompromising inclusivity' would be his legacy; the family had expected a 'very successful future' after his degree in engineering and robotics. In a statement after the guilty plea, relatives said his death had affected them 'deeply, profoundly and lastingly', that they had 'had to explain to people many times what happened', and that the family is 'outraged that Zak Coflan pretended to be helping Jamie when it was he who is responsible for his murder'.

Jamie Collins wearing a black, red and white patterned shirt and sunglasses on his head. He has shoulder length brown hair and piercings in his ears, eyebrow and nose. He appears to be sitting underneath a white marquee on a sunny day.Image source, Family photo
Image caption,

Jamie Collins, 21, was ambushed and killed after returning home from university

A police mugshot of Zach Coughlan wearing a grey T-shirt and standing against a grey background. He has a closely shaven beard and long messy brown hair, and is looking at the camera.Image source, Avon and Somerset Police
Image caption,

Coughlan initially tried to blame masked attackers for his housemate's murder

A composite image showing clothing and shoes which were recovered from the pond. It shows a black puffer coat worn during the murder, white trainers, blue denim jeans and a black T-shirt.Image source, Avon and Somerset Police
Image caption,

Coughlan's DNA was found on bloodstained clothing recovered from a nearby pond

Det Ch Insp Edgeworth wearing a dark suit and pale pink shirt, reading from a statement outside court, surrounded by Jamie Collins' family.
Image caption,

Edgeworth said Coughlan had