A killer who lured a retired Fettes College teacher to his death by catfishing him on a gay dating app went to a fun fair with his body still under his bed before planning a holiday with his stolen money. 

Paul McNaughton murdered Peter Coshan in a flat in Leith on either August 11 or 12, 2022 after using a fake profile on 'hook-up app' Gaydar to persuade him to come to the property.

The killer, 29, first met Dr Coshan online in 2021. The 75-year-old had previously taught biology at Fettes, the prestigious Edinburgh public school that counts former prime minister Tony Blair among its former pupils.

When Dr Coshan found out about the thefts, he threatened to go to the police unless McNaughton provided him with free sexual favours to settle the debt, the High Court in Edinburgh heard.

'Fed up' McNaughton hatched a plot to kill him by setting up the made-up profile. He then murdered the former teacher moments after he walked through his front door on August 11 or 12, 2022. 

The judge who sentenced McNaughton to life in prison, Lord Scott, said he acted in a 'cold and chilling manner' after the murder.

'You immediately went to Peter Coshan's home where you took bank cards to help yourself to even more of his money,' the judge told him in court. 

'Immediately after that, stopping only to buy some takeaway food, you busied yourself on a spending spree for several days which involved siphoning off more of his money at every opportunity, mostly to spend on yourself, including planning a foreign holiday.'

The court previously heard how McNaughton, along with his flatmate Paul Black, 65, hid the pensioner's body under a bed while they went to a fun fair at Burntisland in Fife.

Chilling footage shows McNaughton casually buying two shovels in a shop and strolling down the street eating McDonald's. 

On August 15, they put the body into 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.  

McNaughton, who admitted murder and attempting to defeat the ends of justice in 2023 before Black's trial, was sentenced to life imprisonment with a recommendation that he serve a minimum of 22 years behind bars when he was sentenced at Glasgow High Court yesterday.

Black was cleared of murder following a trial at the High Court in Edinburgh in May, with the jury returning a not proven verdict.

However, during the trial he admitted attempting to defeat the ends of justice and was sentenced to five and a half years for that. 

Judge Lord Scott said it was made 'clear' to him during Black's trial that Dr Coshan was 'a loved brother, uncle and friend' to those who knew him. 

He noted Dr Coshan had been diagnosed with Parkinson's in his latter years and told McNaughton he had 'exploited' the former teacher's deteriorating health 'before you decided he must die'.

Lord Scott went on to discuss how McNaughton then helped himself to bank cards belonging to Dr Coshan and embarked on a 'spending spree' during which he 'siphoned off more of his money'.

'Having exploited Peter Coshan in life, you continued to do so in his death,' he told McNaughton.

The judge said Dr Coshan 'suffered further affront' through the pair loading his body into a suitcase and attempting to bury it in a lay-by.

He noted a victim impact statement completed by Dr Coshan's niece on his family's behalf said his murder had had a 'devastating' impact on them all.

'His family did not know and may never know what happened in their loved one's final moments,' he said.

Neither McNaughton nor Black showed any emotion as they were led out the dock in handcuffs.

Moira Orr, who leads on homicide and major crime for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS), said: 'This was a callous and brutal murder of an elderly man who was quietly enjoying his retirement.

'Peter was loved by his family and friends in the local community. He had a positive impact on the lives of so many people. But his own life was cut short by the despicable actions of Paul McNaughton.

'He showed a cavalier disregard for his actions and will now serve a life sentence for his crimes.'

She added: 'Our thoughts remain with Peter's friends and family who have waited patiently for justice to be served as they come to terms with today's outcome.'

In a statement issued through police at the end of the trial, Dr Coshan's family said they remain 'horrified' that anybody could have 'treated a vulnerable 75-year-old in such a despicable manner'.

They said: 'Our life will never be the same and we will always ask the question, what if?

'There is, of course, no answer to what if, as events have overtaken us and there is no going back in time.

'However, we have happy memories of Peter and can reflect on the positive impact he had on so many people's lives.'