Man jailed for at least 23 years for Fife murder

David Barnes was sentenced at the High Court in Glasgow for killing Ean Coutts

33 year-old Barnes committed the crime in 2019
Author: Kieran BrandPublished 13th Dec 2023

A man who murdered and then dumped the body of another man in Fife has been sentenced to at least 23 years in prison.

33 year-old David Barnes was sentenced at the High Court in Glasgow for killing Ean Coutts, 60, at his home in the town of Kinglassie in 2019.

He was found guilty of attempting to defeat the ends of justice.

Barnes had taken his body to an abandoned unit on an industrial estate in Glenrothes where he tried to conceal it.

Barnes also used Ean Coutts’ bank card to withdraw money from his account, apply for finance and commit other fraud and theft.

Detective Inspector Scott Roxburgh, senior investigating officer said: “We welcome the sentence handed out at the High Court in Glasgow and hope that it brings some kind of closure for Ean’s family and friends.

“This was a series of despicable and callous acts carried out by Barnes who deliberately concealed the body to cover up what he had done, including setting it on fire, and then going on to commit a series of frauds.

“Our investigation was complex and it took a facial reconstruction for us to be in a position of being able to identify Ean.

"I would like to thank all officers involved as well as members of the public who assisted with our enquiries.”

Hear all the latest news from across the UK on the hour, every hour, on Greatest Hits Radio on DAB, smartspeaker, at greatesthitsradio.co.uk, and on the Rayo app.