TV CAMERAS CAPTURE FIFE MURDER TRIAL

The gruesome Fife murder of army veteran Ean Coutts is highlighted in a new BBC documentary, which will be screened next week.

The remains of a body are discovered in an abandoned warehouse but the victim, the motive and cause of death are all unknown.

Soon a shocking and premeditated crime is uncovered as decorator David Barnes stands accused of killing his customer, yet nobody knows how he died.

In a unique criminal case shrouded in mystery, ‘Murder Trial: Body in the Warehouse’, follows the family’s quest for justice and goes behind-the-scenes of the High Court.

The documentary will be available to watch from next Tuesday on BBC iPlayer.

After the remains were discovered by an urban explorer visiting a disused industrial estate in Glenrothes, a national appeal follows leading to the identity of the victim being revealed as 60-year-old father and ex-soldier Ean Coutts.

“It was an area which had just been completely neglected for many, many years and this individual had been callously dumped,” says Crime Scene Manager, DS Scott Roxburgh.

“It was a pretty sad scene to be honest, certainly not where you want your loved one’s final resting place to be.”

The documentary goes to the High Court in Edinburgh where a major police investigation has led to 33-year-old David Barnes facing trial.

In court are Ean’s family – his sister Audrey and two of his children, Emma and Louise.

“You kind of almost feel a sense of guilt in a way because we were estranged,” says Emma. “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.”

As the courtroom drama intensifies, witnesses come forward who observe 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.

However, the trial is clouded by a 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.

With unprecedented access inside the Scottish justice system the programme follows the shocking trial as Ean Coutts’ family seek the truth and justice.

‘Murder Trial: Body in the Warehouse’, is available to watch on BBC iPlayer from 28th January.

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