Ex-Fettes College teacher ‘lured to flat on gay messaging app then murdered’

A retired teacher who worked for decades at one of Britain’s elite private schools was murdered after being lured to an Edinburgh property on a gay messaging app, a court has heard.

Paul Black, 64, allegedly acted with another person to kill Peter Coshan at a house in the Leith area in August 2022, after making contact on the Gaydar dating site.

Dr Coshan, who was 75, worked at Fettes College between 1972 and 2005 as a biology teacher. He also ran the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme at the school.

On the first day of the trial on Thursday, the jury at the High Court in Edinburgh heard that Mr Black had contacted Dr Coshan on internet apps including Gaydar, pretending to be another person, in March 2022.

Texts were being exchanged over WhatsApp. Is it alleged that Mr Black did this to “induce” Dr Coshan to come to the property where it is claimed he murdered him.

Prosecutors allege that following his death, Dr Coshan’s body was kept in “a place of concealment” with Mr Black said to have purchased items such as cleaning products, air freshener and spades.

Body allegedly put in suitcase

He is accused of later moving the body, placing it in a suitcase and attempting to dig a grave near a junction in Capheaton, Northumberland, and attempting to conceal it.

He is alleged to have stolen £18,000 from Dr Coshan by accessing his bank accounts and transferring money. Mr Black denied all 18 charges he faces which include murder, theft, fraud and attempting to defeat the ends of justice.

Later, the trial heard from Ross Cook, a retired police inspector, who was taught by Dr Coshan at Fettes in the 1970s.

The pair kept in touch over the years and Mr Cook said Dr Coshan had confided in him that he was gay in June 2020.

He said he believed Dr Coshan had trusted a man he met on a website called SilverDaddies to transfer £8,000 he had inherited from his mother.

“He told me that the money was being moved from one account to another more accessible account,” Mr Cook said.

“I’m not sure if it was moved or if it was prepared to be stolen – theft essentially.”

Special defence

He added: “I think I may have told him off and then gave him advice, telling him he should have nothing more to do with that individual.”

Mr Black’s lawyers have lodged a special defence stating that their client did not commit any of the alleged crimes.

The special defence states that if the crimes had been committed, the person responsible for them was the man called Paul McNaughton, whose location was described as being “care of HMP Edinburgh”.

The trial, before judge Lord Scott, continues.