Killer says teacher was lured to death on dating app

Paul McNaughton admitted killing Peter Coshan

A prisoner who admitted murdering a retired teacher has said he and his flatmate lured the man to his death using a "hook up app".

Paul McNaughton said he and Paul Black had pretended to be someone else when they invited Peter Coshan to their flat in Edinburgh, where they planned to suffocate him.

He said this was part of a plot to steal Mr Coshan's £102,000 life savings. McNaughton, 29, pled guilty to a murder charge last year.

Mr Black, 65, is currently on trial for murder - which he denies along with 17 other charges - and has lodged a special defence of incrimination.

Mr Coshan taught at the Edinburgh public school from 1972 until his retirement in 2005.

Giving evidence on Tuesday, McNaughton told jurors how he set up a fake account on dating website Gaydar in order to chat with the former teacher.

He said he had previously got to know the 75-year-old on the app and claimed Mr Coshan had offered him “money for sexual favours”.

On one visit to Mr Coshan’s home, McNaughton “memorised” his online banking details which had been written down on a notepad next to his computer.

McNaughton had lived with Mr Black at a flat in Leith, but knew him by the name of Joe Hillary.

He said in the years leading up to the murder, they had taken thousands from Mr Coshan’s accounts without obtaining his permission.

McNaughton claimed he transferred some of the funds into his own bank account and that Mr Black made calls to Mr Coshan’s bank to access his money.

He told the court he went on holiday to Blackpool with Mr Black after £8,000 had been taken. On another occasion, he said they took £5,000 to buy a car.

McNaughton said that Mr Coshan discovered that he had taken the money and he had spoken to him about it.

He added: “He said that I would have to do sexual favours on him for a year in order to clear my money.

“He said he was not going to give me money but he still kept giving me money.”

Fake account

McNaughton told the court he was “fed up” with performing sexual favours, and that he and Mr Black had then planned to kill Mr Coshan.

He said they set up a new account on Gaydar and used a picture of a “random person" from the internet.

The court heard messages were sent to Mr Coshan and he agreed to come to the property that McNaughton and Mr Black shared on Seafield Road.

McNaughton said: “Both of us decided what was going to happen when he came through the front door - he was going to be suffocated with a plastic bag by myself and Mr Black.”

He told the court that he knew Mr Coshan had £102,000 and that they were planning to use the money for themselves.

Prosecutors claim that on 11 or 12 August 2022, Mr Black and McNaughton assaulted and injured Mr Coshan at the property, leaving him bleeding.

It is claimed that Mr Black struggled with Mr Coshan and then murdered him.

He is then alleged to have concealed the body for a number of days before putting it in a stolen suitcase and driving it to a layby on the A696 between Otterburn and Belsay in Northumberland, where he attempted to dig a grave.

The remains were left at a wall, while Mr Black is alleged to have attempted to dispose of clothing and other items belonging to the victim.

Special defence

Mr Black's lawyers have lodged a special defence stating 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 another man called Paul McNaughton, whose location was described as “care of HMP Edinburgh”.

It is also alleged that Mr Black later pretended to police that he did not know the victim, and purchased various cleaning products following the death.

Mr Black is also standing trial on fraud and theft charges.

Prosecutors claim that in September 2021, Mr Black and another person used “means unknown” to the Crown, to obtain the login details of Mr Coshan and access his bank accounts.

The trial, before judge Lord Scott, continues.