Claims extracted
25
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
12%
3 of 25 hedged
("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
69/100
BBC News's corrections and
hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
4
Crime & Law
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
- Published
A student who stabbed his housemate more than 30 times in a masked ambush has changed his murder plea to guilty.
asserted
who → publish → plea
Zack Coughlan, 23, attacked Jamie Collins, 21, in an alleyway near the garden of their home on 8 April and then left his body outside for eight hours before calling police.
asserted
Coughlan → attack → police
A murder trial had been under way at Bristol Crown Court because Coughlan initially denied the charge, although he did admit killing Collins.
asserted
he → deny → Collins
He told jurors he stabbed Collins because he feared his housemate would kill him.
asserted
housemate → tell → him
However, Coughlan has now changed his plea to guilty and will be sentenced for murder on Wednesday.
asserted
Coughlan → change → Wednesday
Describing him as "gentle" and "kind", Collins' family said he had been "looking forward to finishing his journey" at the University of the West of England (UWE) and returning home to Swansea "in just a few weeks' time".
asserted
he → describe → time
The men were both final-year robotics students at the UWE and lived together in a house in Filton, owned by Coughlan.
asserted
men → live → Coughlan
During the trial, Coughlan said he stabbed his former friend because he felt he "had no choice", describing himself as "broken".
asserted
he → say → himself
His defence relied on his fear, telling jurors he was "barely able to think" when he lay in wait for Collins to return home from university before stabbing him repeatedly.
asserted
Collins → rely → him
Coughlan then left his housemate to die in the alleyway behind their home before cycling away on the victim's bike to dispose of bloodstained evidence.
asserted
Coughlan → leave → evidence
On returning home he ate pizza and played video games, claiming he "had to disconnect" from what happened.
asserted
what → return → games
He did not call 999 for another eight hours.
asserted
He → call → hours
The entire attack was captured on a CCTV Coughlan had installed himself, which also shows the moment he staged the discovery of Collins' body.
asserted
he → capture → body
Jurors were told he later rewatched this footage five times as he claimed he wanted to "make sense of what was happening and disconnect".
asserted
what → tell → sense
Det Ch Insp Lucy Edgeworth, of the major crime investigation team, said "all the evidence suggests" the killing was a "pre-planned, cold-blooded execution".
uncertain
killing → say → team
She said despite Coughlan claiming his housemate's political views had become more extreme and that he had talked about killing Coughlan, the motive for the murder was "not clear".
asserted
motive → say → murder
"We know there was a dispute about rent.
asserted
We → know → rent
We know that they held different political views.
asserted
they → know → views
But none of those things make any sense to why somebody would carry out such a horrific crime," she said.
asserted
she → make → crime
Edgeworth pointed out inconsistencies in Coughlan's story, including claims he had injured his hands climbing a tree after the incident, which she called "slightly odd".
uncertain
she → point → which
She said that CCTV evidence showed Coughlan proved he had changed his shoes, "yet in his account he'd given us no indication that he'd changed his trainers, and that's just one of many things that then began to unravel with his account".
asserted
that → say → account
Judge Justice Linden ruled Coughlan's partial defence of manslaughter by reason of loss of control could not be left to the jury to consider as part of their deliberations on the murder charge.
uncertain
defence → rule → charge
He told the jury: "You will have just heard that the defendant has changed his plea to the indictment to guilty.
"
asserted
defendant → tell → indictment
That means that he now admits the charge of murder."
asserted
he → mean → murder
He added: "I would like, on behalf of us all, to thank you for the service that you have given in this case."
asserted
you → add → case
The Aporia
