Yahoo News Man who murdered retired teacher in catfishing plot and dumped his body in Northumberland jailed
A man murdered a retired teacher in a catfishing plot before dumping his body in Northumberland.
Paul McNaughton killed Peter Coshan, 75, in a flat in Leith, Edinburgh, on either August 11 or 12, 2022, after using a fake profile on a gay hook-up site to lure him to the address.
The 29-year-old first met the retired biology teacher online in 2021 and proceeded to steal tens of thousands of pounds from him after gaining access to his bank accounts.
When Mr Coshan found out about the thefts, he threatened to go to the police unless McNaughton provided him with free sexual favours. The defendant hatched a plot to kill the retired teacher after becoming "fed up" with the situation.
McNaughton, along with his flatmate Paul Black, 65, hid the pensioner's body until about August 15, 2022. They then put it in a suitcase, drove it to a layby on the A696 between Otterburn and Belsay and dumped it next to a wall.
McNaughton pleaded guilty to murder and and attempting to pervert the course of justice in 2023. On Monday, he was sentenced at Glasgow High Court to life imprisonment with a recommendation that he serve a minimum of 22 years behind bars.
Black was cleared by a jury of murder following a trial at the High Court in Edinburgh in May. He admitted attempting to pervert the course of justice during the trial and was sentenced to five-and-a-half years in prison for that.
