Kinglassie murder: 23 years for killer who dumped body in abandoned industrial unit

David Barnes was sentenced at the High Court in Glasgow on Wednesday for the murder of Ean Coutts in 2019. The 33-year old had previously being convicted of murder and attempting to defeat the ends of justice.

Mr Coutts was killed at his home in Kinglassie, and Barnes then took his body to an abandoned unit on an industrial estate in Glenrothes where he tried to conceal it. He also used the dead man’s bank card to withdraw money from his account, apply for finance and commit other fraud and theft.

Detective Inspector Scott Roxburgh, senior investigating officer said: “We welcome the sentence handed out at the High Court in Glasgow and hope that it brings some kind of closure for Ean’s family and friends. This was a series of despicable and callous acts carried out by Barnes who deliberately concealed the body to cover up what he had done, including setting it on fire, and then going on to commit a series of frauds. Our investigation was complex and it took a facial reconstruction for us to be in a position of being able to identify Ean. I would like to thank all officers involved as well as members of the public who assisted with our enquiries.”