A new BBC documentary about a Scots killer who murdered a Fife man in his own home and dumped his remains on an industrial estate will air next month.
Murder Trial: Body in the Warehouse will follow victim Ean Coutts’ family in their bid for justice in a “unique criminal case shrouded in mystery”.
David Barnes, 33, murdered army veteran Coutts, 60, at his home on Main Street in Kinglassie in September 2019 and then transported his torched body in a wheelie bin to an industrial unit nearly five miles away in Glenrothes.
The brute then committed a series of frauds and thefts by using Ean’s bank card to withdraw money from his account and apply for finance. Barnes even pretended to be Ean at a premises in Fife.
On September 27, 2020, one year after the murder, Ean’s partially mumified body was discovered by chance at the Whitehill Industrial Estate.
Crime Scene Manager, DS Scott Roxburgh, said: “It was an area which had just been completely neglected for many, many years and this individual had been callously dumped.
“It was a pretty sad scene to be honest, certainly not where you want your loved one’s final resting place to be.”
It took a further three months for the remains to be identified. The breakthrough was made following extensive enquiries, including the release of a facial reconstruction created by experts at Liverpool John Moores University.
Being screened over two nights in February, Murder Trial goes to the High Court in Edinburgh where a major police investigation has led to Barnes facing trial. In court are Ean’s family – his sister Audrey and two of his children, Emma and Louise.
Emma said: “You kind of almost feel a sense of guilt in a way because we were estranged.
“But he was still our dad and there were still a lot of feelings there. You know we could have had that chance to get back in contact with him but the fact that someone’s taken that chance away for us to ever be able to reconnect with him, I think that was quite gut wrenching.”
Murder Trial aims to give viewers a unique, behind the scenes insight into the workings of the Scottish Courts and justice system. Witnesses for the Barnes trial will be seen coming forward after observing the accused putting a large object in the boot of his car and the prosecution outlines a chilling case of murder, fraud and deceit, all for financial gain.
The trial is clouded by an unnerving mystery surrounding the exact nature of Ean’s death. The defence say that without this crucial evidence, the prosecution cannot prove that Barnes is responsible for the crime.
Murder Trial: Body in the Warehouse debuts on BBC iPlayer on Tuesday, January 28. IT will also be screened on BBC Scotland on Tuesday, February 11 and Wednesday 12, at 9pm.