David Barnes found guilty of murdering army veteran Ean Coutts whose body he hid at abandoned industrial unit
Barnes, from Fife, is believed to have removed the body from a property in a wheelie bin and then drove to an industrial estate where he dumped the victim.
Thursday 16 November 2023 15:34, UK
A man has been convicted of murdering an army veteran whose body he then hid in a cupboard at an abandoned industrial unit.
David Barnes, 33, killed 60-year-old Ean Coutts by "means unknown" to investigators in September 2019.
Barnes, from Fife, is believed to have removed the body from a property in a wheelie bin and then drove to an industrial estate where he dumped the victim.
Barnes then attempted to avoid detection by setting fire to Mr Coutts' remains, which were discovered a year later by an urban explorer.
Police Scotland said it took a facial reconstruction for the force to be able to identify Mr Coutts.
The High Court in Edinburgh heard Barnes killed Mr Coutts for "financial gain".
Jurors were told Barnes assumed Mr Coutts' identity and withdrew more than £5,000 of the victim's money, which he used to buy "goods and services".
A police investigation was launched after Mr Coutts' skeletal remains were discovered by an urban explorer looking around the unit, who at first thought they were animal bones or a prop.
On Wednesday, Barnes was convicted of murder and attempting to defeat the ends of justice.
Lord Mulholland remanded the killer in custody ahead of sentencing next month.
The judge noted how Barnes lied to neighbours that Mr Coutts had gone on holiday and moved to England to explain his disappearance.
Lord Mulholland said: "You murdered a man who was going about his daily business and you murdered this man for financial gain.
"Having murdered him you embarked upon an elaborate scheme to hide this murder.
"Your pack of lies unravelled. What you did was despicable."
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Barnes is believed to have killed Mr Coutts on 3 September 2019 at the victim's house in Kinglassie, Fife, or elsewhere in Scotland.
Mr Coutts' remains were discovered at Whitehill Industrial Estate in Glenrothes on 27 September 2020, and were eventually identified in December that year.
Barnes was originally standing trial on a total of 36 charges, which included allegations of theft and fraud. However, prosecutors withdrew the theft and fraud charges at the end of the Crown case.
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Following the conviction, Detective Inspector Scott Roxburgh said: "This was a long and complex inquiry and I want to thank everyone involved.
"Barnes acted in a callous manner, killing Ean and then pretending to be the dead man.
"He disposed of the body in a horrific way, even setting fire to it to try to dispose of the remains, leaving it in an inaccessible place so that it was only by chance it was found.
"It took a facial reconstruction for us to be able to identify Ean and I hope the court result brings some kind of closure for his family and those who knew him."
Barnes will be sentenced at the High Court in Glasgow on 13 December.