Latest news with #MohammedYousefAlqassem
The National
3 days ago
- The National
Passing doctors tried to save life of Saudi student stabbed in Cambridge, UK court hears
Doctors tried to save the life of a student from Saudi Arabia after he was stabbed in the neck and lay bleeding to death in the English city of Cambridge, a court was told. Mohammed Yousef Alqassem, 20, was killed while he was on a 10-week placement at an English language school in Cambridge. Chas Corrigan, 21, appeared in court on Wednesday charged with the murder of Mr Alqassem and was refused bail. His trial has been set for February next year. Prosecutor Gavin Burrell told Cambridge Crown Court that the victim collapsed after sustaining an 11.5cm wound to his neck, which pierced his jugular vein. 'The victim bled out and died of haemorrhaging at the scene. Junior doctors who were nearby tried to assist,' said Mr Burrell. Defence barrister Shahnawaz Khan said the accused was born and brought up in Cambridge and worked as a landscaper. Mr Corrigan intends to plead not guilty, said the barrister. Cambridgeshire Police have said that its officers were called to Mill Park in the town at 11.27pm on Friday following reports of violence. Mr Alqassem's family are in Cambridge to bring his body back to Saudi Arabia, his uncle Majed Abalkhail told The National. 'Mohammed's father is currently in Cambridge, accompanied by some of his brothers, to follow up on the procedures for bringing Mohammed home, in co-ordination with the Saudi embassy,' he said. Mr Abalkhail, who has said he believed the UK is no longer safe for visitors, paid tribute to his nephew. 'He had dreams of studying medicine and came to the UK with a heart full of hope and a passion for learning. Unfortunately, his journey ended in tragedy. His family and community are devastated by this horrific loss.'
The National
3 days ago
- The National
Family of Saudi student killed in Cambridge prepare to take body home
The family of a Saudi student stabbed to death in Cambridge have arrived in the UK to take his body home, his uncle has revealed. Mohammed Yousef Alqassem, 20, was killed in what police have described as an 'unprovoked attack' while he was on a 10-week placement at an English language school. A 21-year-old man, Chas Corrigan, has been charged with murder and possession of a knife in a public place, and is due to appear at Cambridge Crown Court on Wednesday. Majed Abalkhail, Mr Alqassem's uncle, told The National family members have travelled to the city to take his body back to their homeland. 'Mohammed's father is currently in Cambridge, accompanied by some of his brothers, to follow up on the procedures for bringing Mohammed home, in co-ordination with the Saudi embassy,' he said. Mr Abalkhail reiterated his view on crime in Britain, saying he had a sense of 'deep frustration and growing anger' that the country was losing its reputation for being safe. 'People from various countries, including many in the Arab world, are seriously rethinking any plans to visit or study in the UK,' he said. 'This is the hard truth being spoken in private conversations and social circles – and it's time it was said out loud. Britain is rapidly losing its global reputation, not just as a centre of education, but even as a travel destination. 'Sadly, Britain is becoming a symbol of lawlessness, insecurity, and government failure, and this perception is spreading fast among people of all backgrounds.' He cited the example of the fatal stabbing of Mohammed Afzal, 19, in Manchester as an example of Britain being a 'dangerous environment plagued by theft, stabbings and violent crime'. A man has been charged in relation to the death of Mr Afzal, who was killed in a car park on Friday. Two men remain in custody while two other men, who were also arrested, have been released on bail. Mr Abalkhail earlier paid tribute to his nephew as a 'calm, kind-hearted young man' who dreamt of pursuing a career as a doctor. Cambridgeshire Police said that its officers were called to Mill Park in Cambridge at 11.27pm on Friday following reports of violence. Mr Alqassem was pronounced dead at the scene at 12.01am on Saturday despite the efforts of paramedics. EF International Language Campuses Cambridge, a private school offering English language courses to overseas students, said it was 'deeply saddened' to confirm one of its adult students had died. In recent months there have been reports about crime in Britain, in particular London, and criticism of the police's ability to deal with it. Official statistics show a mixed picture, with some violent crime falling while theft and some knife crime has increased. In the year to March 2025, the police recorded 6.6 million crimes – similar to the previous year's figure of 6.7 million, but up from 4.2 million in the year ending in March 2015. Attacks involving the use of knives have gone up from just under 14,000 a decade ago to around 22,000 this year. Knife-enabled murders fell by 23 per cent to 204 offences, compared with 265 the year before. In 2024, London recorded nearly 17,000 knife crime offences − an 86.6 per cent increase over 10 years. In the same year there were over 35,000 robberies – an increase of 18.2 per cent over just three years. In the year to March there were 535 murders – more or less the same as 10 years ago and down from 868 in 2005. The UK has also experienced a wave of " Rolex ripper" luxury watch thefts and mobile phone snatches, which the police appear to have struggled to deal with. Analysis by the insurance company SquareTrade Europe of mobile theft and loss of data from 12 European markets found that the UK now represents 40 per of all European claims.
The National
3 days ago
- The National
Family of murdered Saudi student prepare to take body home
The family of a Saudi student stabbed to death in Cambridge have arrived in the UK to take his body home, his uncle has revealed. Mohammed Yousef Alqassem, 20, was killed in what police have described as an 'unprovoked attack' while he was on a 10-week placement at an English language school. A 21-year-old man, Chas Corrigan, has been charged with murder and possession of a knife in a public place, and is due to appear at Cambridge Crown Court on Wednesday. Majed Abalkhail, Mr Alqassem's uncle, told The National family members have travelled to the city to take his body back to their homeland. 'Mohammed's father is currently in Cambridge, accompanied by some of his brothers, to follow up on the procedures for bringing Mohammed home, in co-ordination with the Saudi embassy,' he said. Mr Abalkhail reiterated his view on crime in Britain, saying he had a sense of 'deep frustration and growing anger' that the country was losing its reputation for being safe. 'People from various countries, including many in the Arab world, are seriously rethinking any plans to visit or study in the UK,' he said. 'This is the hard truth being spoken in private conversations and social circles – and it's time it was said out loud. Britain is rapidly losing its global reputation, not just as a centre of education, but even as a travel destination. 'Sadly, Britain is becoming a symbol of lawlessness, insecurity, and government failure, and this perception is spreading fast among people of all backgrounds.' He cited the example of the fatal stabbing of Mohammed Afzal, 19, in Manchester as an example of Britain being a 'dangerous environment plagued by theft, stabbings and violent crime'. A man has been charged in relation to the death of Mr Afzal, who was killed in a car park on Friday. Two men remain in custody while two other men, who were also arrested, have been released on bail. Mr Abalkhail said the UK was facing competition from other nations for tourists and students. 'What makes matters worse is that there are plenty of alternatives – countries offering high-quality education, world-class tourism, and most importantly, public safety." He earlier paid tribute to his nephew as 'calm, kind-hearted young man' who dreamt of pursuing a career as a doctor. Cambridgeshire Police said that its officers were called to Mill Park in Cambridge at 11.27pm on Friday following reports of violence. Mr Alqassem was pronounced dead at the scene at 12.01am on Saturday despite the efforts of paramedics. EF International Language Campuses Cambridge, a private school offering English language courses to overseas students, said it was 'deeply saddened' to confirm one of its adult students had died. In recent months there have been reports about crime in Britain and criticism of the police's inability to deal with apparent lawlessness, particularly in London. Official statistics and other data gathered shows a mixed picture, with some violent crime falling while theft and some knife crime has increased. In the year to March 2025, the police recorded 6.6 million crimes – similar to the previous year's figure of 6.7 million, but up from 4.2 million in the year ending in March 2015. Attacks involving the use of knives have gone up from just under 14,000 a decade ago to around 22,000 this year. Knife-enabled murders fell by 23 per cent to 204 offences, compared with 265 the year before. In 2024, London recorded nearly 17,000 knife crime offences − an 86.6 per cent increase over 10 years. In the same year there were over 35,000 robberies – an increase of 18.2 per cent over just three years. In the year to March there were 535 murders – more or less the same as 10 years ago and down from 868 in 2005. The UK has also experienced a wave of " Rolex ripper" luxury watch thefts and mobile phone snatches, which the police appear to have struggled to deal with. Analysis by the insurance company SquareTrade Europe of mobile theft and loss of data from 12 European markets found that the UK now represents 40 per of all European claims.
