Man who lured teacher to his death with fake dating profile is jailed for murder
A man has been sentenced to a minimum of 22 years in prison for murdering and stealing ten of thousands of pounds from a teacher.
Paul McNaughton killed 75-year-old Peter Coshan in a flat in Leith, Edinburgh in August 2022.
The 29-year-old used a fake profile on a gay hook-up site to lure him to the address, Glasgow High Court heard.
He 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.
McNaughton then hatched a plot to kill the retired teacher after becoming ‘fed up’ with the situation.
Prosecutors said the killing occurred for ‘nothing more than financial gain’.
Following the killing, McNaughton, along with his flatmate Paul Black, 65, hid the pensioner’s body until about August 15.
They put the body in a suitcase and drove it to a layby on the A696 between Otterburn and Belsay in Northumberland, where they dumped it next to a wall.
Jurors heard how worried family members had contacted police about Dr Coshan’s whereabouts after becoming suspicious about language used in texts.
McNaughton had taken the ex-teacher’s phone and been replying to messages sent to the handset.
McNaughton admitted murder and attempting to pervert the course of justice in 2023.
He serve a minimum of 22 years behind bars when he was sentenced at Glasgow High Court on Monday.
Black – who was said to be ‘infatuated’ with the killer – was acquitted of being part of the murder after jurors returned a not proven verdict following a trial in Edinburgh last month.
He was instead found guilty of the attempting to defeat the ends of justice charge and jailed for five-and-a-half years.
Sentencing, Lord Scott told McNaughton: ‘Mr Coshan was a gentle and committed friend who enjoyed life despite his Parkinson’s diagnosis five years earlier.
‘You exploited his illness and vulnerabilities over a period of time before deciding that he must die.
‘After exploiting him in life and taking significant financial benefit from him, you continued to do so in death.’
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