On Air Now

The Chill Out Zone

10:00pm - Midnight

  • 01723 336444

Now Playing

Johnny Mathis

I'm Stone In Love With You

Download

University student accused of stabbing housemate to death

A 23-year-old student, charged with stabbing his university housemate to death in Filton, south Gloucestershire, has appeared in court.

Emergency services were called to the Cleve Road property that the two men shared early on 9 April, where they found the body of 21-year-old Jamie Collins in the garden.

The University of the West of England robotics student was pronounced dead at the scene, with initial investigations indicating he died from multiple stab wounds.

Police believe the student died several hours earlier, on Wednesday 8 April.

His housemate and fellow student, Zack Coughlan, 23, was arrested on suspicion of his murder on 12 April, remanded in custody and appeared today at Bristol Magistrates' court.

Detective Chief Inspector Lucy Edgeworth, of Avon and Somerset Police's major crime investigation team, explained that Jamie was being named, with his family's knowledge, even though formal identification had not been completed, as his name will form part of the court proceedings.

DCI Edgeworth said the Crown Prosecution Service had authorised a murder charge against Coughlan.

"People who knew Jamie will be understandably shocked and hugely saddened to learn of what has happened," she said.

Read more from Sky News:
Water company boss to forgo bonus following water outage
Pablo Escobar's wild hippo herd facing a cull in Colombia

She added that: "Our thoughts are with Jamie's family at this hugely difficult time and... We would politely ask people to continue to respect their privacy."

Local police have been carrying out high-visibility patrols in the area over recent days, with further enquiries planned.

Jamie was described as an "active member of student societies".

A spokesperson for the University of the West of England said the university was "deeply shocked" by the news of his death in "such distressing circumstances".

They added that: "Our thoughts are with Jamie's family at this extremely sad time".

Sky News

(c) Sky News 2026: University student accused of stabbing housemate to death

Want to See More from This is the Coast?

Click here to set This is the Coast as a preferred source on Google search.

Love living on the Yorkshire Coast? So do we.

This is the Coast is 100% locally owned and operated. We don’t rely on public funding or government grants—we rely on our community.

Producing trusted, fact-checked local news takes time and resources. If you value having a dedicated team of professional journalists fighting for our region, please consider supporting us.

Help keep the Yorkshire Coast informed for the price of a coffee a month.

Support Local Journalism Today

More from Top Stories

Follow Us

Get Our Apps

Our Apps are now available for iOS, Android and Smart Speakers.

  • Available on the App Store
  • Available on Google Play
  • Just ask Amazon Alexa
  • Available on Roku

Today's Weather

  • Scarborough

    Sunny intervals

    High: 14°C | Low: 10°C

  • Filey

    Sunny intervals

    High: 13°C | Low: 10°C

  • Whitby

    Sunny intervals

    High: 14°C | Low: 10°C

  • Bridlington

    Sunny intervals

    High: 11°C | Low: 9°C

  • Hornsea

    Sunny intervals

    High: 13°C | Low: 10°C

  • Driffield

    Sunny intervals

    High: 15°C | Low: 11°C

News