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00:09On the 4th of September, 2022,
00:12a police officer discovered human remains
00:16near to a main road in Northumberland.
00:21That body had been in a suitcase,
00:24had been thrown over a wall and just left there.
00:29Investigators had been looking for the remains
00:31of 75-year-old Peter Coshin.
00:35And after three weeks of searching, they had finally found him.
00:40Due to the condition of the body in advanced stages of decomposition,
00:45the pathologist was unable to determine cause of death
00:47or what had happened to Peter.
00:51Already under arrest for murder was 29-year-old Paul McNaughton,
00:56who'd stolen over £100,000 from Peter.
01:02He obviously wanted to live a lifestyle without working for it,
01:05and he's seen Peter as a way of funding that for him.
01:11McNaughton's greed for Peter's money knew no bounds.
01:15Even after killing him, he's still using Peter's cash cards
01:20to take money out of machines all across Edinburgh.
01:26McNaughton didn't just murder Peter,
01:29he meticulously planned it
01:31and then ruthlessly tried to get away with it,
01:35making him one of Britain's most evil killers.
02:03When Paul McNaughton was sentenced to 22 years
02:08for the murder of Peter Coshin in 2024,
02:11people were shocked at the level of premeditation in the killing.
02:17There is no doubt that this was a very calculated crime,
02:23and what's more, he took considerable efforts to hide Peter's body.
02:28This was not an act of passion or a single incident.
02:32It was very, very well-planned and thought through.
02:38McNaughton had been stealing money from Peter for over a year.
02:44He knew that he couldn't use
02:46any of his manipulative tactics on Peter anymore,
02:50so he had to start to plan
02:52how is he going to get Peter into the place he needs him to be,
02:57basically, so that he can kill him.
03:00Even after Peter's death,
03:03McNaughton continued to treat the 75-year-old with complete contempt.
03:09He did whatever he could to empty his bank account
03:12and his savings at that time
03:13with total disrecard for him as an individual
03:16and no respect for the body.
03:20McNaughton thought he'd got away with it,
03:22but investigators eventually tracked the 29-year-old down
03:26and locked up a ruthless and remorseless murderer.
03:37This killer story begins in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1994.
03:47We don't know very much about Paul McNaughton's childhood.
03:50We do know that at one point
03:52he referred to his adverse childhood circumstances,
03:56but we have very little idea of exactly what those were.
04:01Adverse childhood experiences
04:03might be something like abuse
04:05or neglect, maybe sexual abuse,
04:09but it could be something like divorce and separation.
04:12There's quite a spectrum of things
04:15that could cause quite high stress levels
04:18for a child or even trauma.
04:25As McNaughton got older,
04:27he found himself on the police radar.
04:34He did have some convictions,
04:37but none of them included violence.
04:39But there was a conviction
04:41for what it is called willful fire-raising,
04:45which is arson, basically.
04:47And arson is probably one of the biggest red flags
04:51to have in somebody's criminal history
04:53that suggests or predicts
04:56that they are going to be problematic
04:58further down the line.
05:01By the age of 26,
05:03McNaughton's downward spiral
05:05was continuing, unabated.
05:08We do know that McNaughton
05:10did have violent tendencies.
05:12That is not reflected in his criminal record
05:14because in 2020,
05:16he did meet up with a man
05:18and he turned on him violently
05:21and threatened to stab him,
05:23threatened to damage his car.
05:25So we absolutely know
05:27this is part of his behavioural repertoire.
05:32The thing about McNaughton
05:34was he had no significant violent convictions
05:36whatsoever.
05:38None.
05:39I think it tells you
05:40that he'd mostly got his own way.
05:45If I get what I want,
05:46I'm fine,
05:47but I can use the threat of violence.
05:58In 2019,
06:00a freelance journalist called Paul,
06:03who was in his mid-twenties,
06:05was out drinking at a bar in Edinburgh.
06:10We had plans to go out for a friend's birthday
06:12in Edinburgh
06:13for some drinks and dinner.
06:15Paul and his friends
06:17ended up in a bar
06:18in the north of the city
06:19where he came across someone
06:21he hadn't met before.
06:25I met this guy in the toilet.
06:27The toilets are tiny.
06:29I was washing my hands, basically,
06:30and sort of turned around
06:31and said,
06:31hello, you know,
06:32how's your night?
06:33How are you getting on?
06:35When we were chatting,
06:36he told me his name was Ryan
06:37and he shook my hand
06:38and I shook his hand
06:39and I said I was called Paul.
06:41I just thought he was a normal guy.
06:43I mean, nothing,
06:45there was no alarm bells ringing.
06:46He was just being nice,
06:48if you like.
06:49General toilet,
06:50chit-chat on a night out,
06:51that sort of thing.
06:51I thought he was a not-bad-looking guy.
06:54There was nothing really in my head
06:56telling me to watch out for anything.
06:58He asked me if I was on a certain dating app,
07:01which I was.
07:02I basically showed him my profile
07:05and he sent me a thumbs-up,
07:07basically saying we would chat later.
07:12When Paul went back into the bar,
07:15Ryan, the enigmatic stranger,
07:18called him over.
07:19It was quite close up to me
07:21and speaking in my ear
07:22and basically asked me
07:23if I had ever paid for sex,
07:25which I hadn't and I wouldn't.
07:28So I told him no.
07:29He then informed me
07:30that he was an escort.
07:33Obviously, in his head,
07:34he was out to make money that night,
07:37whereas I was out to spend money,
07:39but on alcohol
07:40and have a good night
07:41and other ways.
07:42So I went back and sat with my friends.
07:45I could see him looking over
07:47and I thought,
07:47you know, this guy obviously really likes me.
07:50But in my head, I was like,
07:51I know what he wants.
07:52He wants money
07:53and it's not something I'm prepared to do.
07:56I was aware of him all night,
07:58but again,
07:59there was no alarm bells ringing.
08:01I just genuinely thought
08:03he likes me
08:04and he wants to take things further.
08:09Ryan kept looking over at Paul all evening.
08:15I made it clear to him
08:17on a few occasions
08:17that I would not be paying
08:20and he seemed fine with that.
08:23So I genuinely thought
08:24there was a bit of an interest there,
08:26maybe a bit of a spark.
08:28When we caught up again,
08:29we were chatting
08:30and, you know,
08:31we had a bit of a laugh
08:32and I felt comfortable.
08:36He felt like a decent guy.
08:38Because of that,
08:39I felt comfortable
08:40leaving with him.
08:42You never know these days,
08:43you know,
08:44the people you meet online.
08:45And it was the first time I'd met him,
08:47but I did genuinely feel,
08:49you know,
08:49relaxed and comfortable.
08:51So I decided to leave the bar with him.
09:00Ryan took Paul to his flat nearby.
09:04He offered me a drink.
09:05We had a drink.
09:07Chat was normal.
09:09And then we had sex.
09:13After that,
09:14I've sort of started
09:15to get my stuff ready
09:15because I said to him,
09:17look,
09:17I need to get back
09:18and get my mates, basically.
09:19And he was like,
09:20oh, just, you know,
09:21just stay.
09:22He started to be quite forceful on me,
09:25like had his arm around me.
09:27I felt like he was throwing himself on me.
09:31He had his leg over my leg as if,
09:35you know,
09:35trying to stop me to get up.
09:36And I said to him,
09:37look,
09:37get off me because I'm starting to feel really uncomfortable here.
09:40And he just wasn't listening.
09:42He was throwing himself on me more.
09:43And at one point,
09:44he was like physically on top of me,
09:46trying to kiss me.
09:47Come on,
09:48let's go again.
09:48Let's go again.
09:49And I was like,
09:49no,
09:50look,
09:50you're really making me feel uncomfortable here.
09:52and you're scaring me.
09:54Paul managed to free himself
09:56and swiftly gathered up his things to leave.
10:00So he asked where I was going
10:02and I told him I was leaving.
10:04He started to become very erratic.
10:09He was quite abusive.
10:11Some of the things he was saying was really unpleasant.
10:15He accused me of taking advantage of him,
10:20bizarrely,
10:21because I got free sex from an escort,
10:23is what he said.
10:27I knew I had to get out,
10:28obviously.
10:29At that point,
10:30it was the only thing to do
10:31because I knew something
10:33that potentially could have happened.
10:36Just the way he was acting.
10:38And if I didn't get out at that point,
10:40then who knows what would have happened.
10:46Paul managed to get back to safety with his friends
10:49and was still processing what had happened.
10:53When I got back home,
10:54I was physically and emotionally drained.
10:58Before I went to bed,
11:00I remembered he'd obviously showed me his profile on a dating app.
11:04So the first thing I did was log in
11:06and report his profile to the site
11:08and just explain a little bit about what had happened.
11:13I did think about reporting it to the police,
11:16surely just because how bad it was.
11:20But instead, I reported it to the dating app.
11:24Paul moved on and tried not to think about Ryan again.
11:30From that incident,
11:32we can learn quite a lot about Ryan, I think.
11:34This is somebody who has no feeling for anybody else.
11:38He almost looks at other human beings
11:43as lesser than,
11:45of no consequence,
11:49as resources to be used for his own benefit.
11:53And, of course, that's quite a dangerous mindset.
11:57What Paul didn't know
11:59was that the man he met in the bar wasn't called Ryan.
12:03His real name
12:05was Paul McNaughton.
12:10I knew there was something evil.
12:13That's the sense I got that night was evil.
12:16And I knew it was only a matter of time
12:17before someone seriously fell victim to him,
12:22purely because his behaviour was so erratic.
12:25It just wasn't normal.
12:27It wasn't normal behaviour.
12:33McNaughton flipped from charm to cruelty in an instant.
12:38And the next person he wanted money from
12:42wouldn't live to tell the story.
12:55In 2022,
12:5729-year-old Paul McNaughton
12:59was living in Edinburgh
13:01and working in a coffee shop.
13:05Across the city on the 12th of August,
13:08Police Scotland received a call
13:10asking if they could check in
13:12on 75-year-old Peter Coshin
13:15after his family failed to make contact with him.
13:19Local journalist Thomas Brown
13:22quickly became aware of the story.
13:32Peter had a call lined up with his sister
13:35on the Friday morning
13:36and she texted him to remind him about that call
13:39and Peter never responded to the text message.
13:43That concerned her slightly.
13:45So her and her husband
13:47then tried to contact Peter on WhatsApp,
13:50landline and mobile
13:51and got no response.
13:55The following day,
13:57they got a rather strange text,
13:59allegedly from Peter,
14:00which wasn't like him at all.
14:03It wasn't the sort of language he used
14:05and he would never say Tom.
14:07He'd forgotten to type tomorrow.
14:10Peter also signed off all his messages
14:13with a capital P at the end.
14:15These new messages
14:17didn't have his signature.
14:19His family knew something was wrong
14:22so the police decided
14:23to do a welfare check.
14:29Police Scotland then attended at the house
14:31and got no answer.
14:32On the same day,
14:33Peter was due to meet a friend
14:35who had travelled in from Europe
14:36who was in Edinburgh
14:37and they had an arrangement to meet
14:39and Peter didn't show up for that.
14:41After it was reported to the police,
14:43they very quickly deemed him a missing person
14:46and Police Scotland proactively
14:48appealed to members of the public
14:50and the media to assist
14:51with any information to come forward
14:52about Peter's whereabouts.
14:57Detectives needed to learn
14:59as much as possible
15:00about the missing 75-year-old.
15:06Peter Coshan was a biology teacher.
15:09He had a PhD.
15:10He taught at Fettis College in Edinburgh,
15:13the old school of Tony Blair,
15:15for 33 years.
15:18Everybody said he was kindly,
15:21gregarious, gentle, cultured.
15:25He lived on his own
15:27in the Stockbridge area of the capital,
15:29which is quite a nice area,
15:31and he lived his life very privately.
15:34After retirement,
15:36he appears to have enjoyed travel with friends
15:38and regular trips to the cinema
15:39and meals out with his friends
15:41and former colleagues.
15:50Given his background,
15:53Peter's very sudden disappearance
15:55raised serious red flags for the police.
15:58They were quick to appeal to the media for help.
16:02When Peter was first reported
16:04as a missing person,
16:05it was a general police appeal
16:06with a description,
16:08a detective asking for information
16:10and a picture of Peter.
16:12And that picture was circulated
16:14a couple of times
16:15over the next 48 hours
16:17around Edinburgh
16:18trying to find Peter.
16:20It was clear then to me
16:21at that point
16:22that police were concerned
16:23that there was something
16:23more sinister going on here
16:25as opposed to just
16:25an elderly missing man.
16:28Police began by retracing Peter's steps
16:31on the day he went missing.
16:34Peter that day
16:36had come back
16:36from a trip to Norwich.
16:38He'd gone home
16:39and then he'd gone out
16:40to the cinema
16:41with friends.
16:43After that,
16:44they went for a drink
16:45in a local pub
16:46and he was dropped back off
16:47at his home
16:48around half ten.
16:49He told his friend
16:50who dropped him off
16:50that he was going in
16:51to go to his bed
16:52because he was very tired.
16:57Investigators discovered
16:58that about an hour later
17:00Peter called a taxi
17:01to take him to Leith
17:03in North Edinburgh.
17:06Former Detective Inspector
17:08for Police Scotland
17:09Michael Orr
17:10has led numerous
17:11murder inquiries.
17:14It's a big lead
17:15for the police.
17:16They realise
17:17there are no further calls
17:19made by Peter
17:20after he was dropped off
17:21in the taxi.
17:22This is his final destination
17:24so to speak.
17:31They tracked down
17:32the taxi driver
17:33who tells the police
17:35that he dropped
17:36Peter off
17:37at 11.52
17:38that evening
17:39at this block of flats
17:41in Seafield Road, Leith.
17:43So they've begun
17:45to establish
17:45where Peter went to.
17:49The driver told the police
17:51that he watched Peter
17:52walk into the block of flats
17:54and then drove away.
17:57The police need to get
17:58a handle on
17:58what everybody
17:59who lives within
17:59that block of flats
18:00was doing that night.
18:01The inquiries
18:02surrounding that flat
18:03and every other flat
18:04they need to be
18:05extensive as possible.
18:07Uniformed officers
18:08were sent
18:09to the block of flats
18:10to carry out
18:10door-to-door inquiries
18:11to see if anybody
18:13living there
18:13had seen Peter
18:14was aware
18:14who he was
18:15knew him
18:16or would have
18:16any idea
18:17as to why
18:17he would have been
18:18looking at that block
18:18of flats.
18:20The police intelligence
18:21system should be
18:22probed to the nth degree
18:23about people
18:24that live within
18:24these flats.
18:25The people that are
18:26in there
18:26are they known to
18:27as, you know,
18:28they've been charged
18:28with anything before.
18:32Detectives narrowed in
18:33on two residents
18:35one of whom
18:36had a criminal record
18:3829-year-old
18:39Paul McNaughton
18:40who lived with
18:4165-year-old
18:43Paul Black
18:43in one of the flats.
18:47They did speak
18:48to McNaughton Black
18:49who denied
18:50any knowledge
18:51of Peter.
18:52They said they
18:53didn't know
18:53who he was
18:54never seen him
18:55before
18:55and no reason
18:56to believe
18:57that he would be
18:57in that block
18:58of flats
18:59for anything
18:59that connected
19:00to them.
19:02Police made
19:03a cursory search
19:04of the flat
19:05but there was
19:05no sign of Peter
19:07or any immediate
19:08evidence
19:09to suggest
19:10something was amiss.
19:12They needed
19:13to find
19:13a new line
19:14of inquiry.
19:20At this point
19:21it's simply
19:22a missing person's
19:22investigation.
19:24A natural way
19:25for the police
19:26to track
19:26any missing person
19:27is to look
19:28at their
19:28bank transactions.
19:31Have they taken
19:32money out of an ATM?
19:34Have they been
19:34in cash to check?
19:36As they begin
19:37to look into that
19:39it's obvious
19:39that Peter's
19:41cash cards
19:42have been used
19:43during the night
19:45after he was
19:46last seen
19:47getting out of a taxi.
19:49There was a huge
19:51amount of activity
19:52in his bank accounts.
19:53At two in the morning
19:54there was £300
19:55taken at one account.
19:56A few hours later
19:57there was €5,000
19:58purchased in a shop
20:00in Leith in Edinburgh
20:01using one of Peter's
20:02accounts.
20:03And hours after that
20:05there was more items
20:06purchased and more money
20:07taken from ATMs
20:08in various parts
20:09of Edinburgh.
20:11Officers who went
20:12to find CCTV
20:13off the transaction
20:14for the Euros
20:15discovered that
20:16they were purchased
20:17by a man
20:18and that man
20:19was not Peter Coshan.
20:23Detectives needed
20:24to find out
20:25who this mystery man
20:26withdrawing Peter's money
20:28was.
20:29All they had
20:30was a description.
20:31They continued
20:32to follow the money
20:34looking at Peter's
20:35accounts in the year
20:36leading up
20:37to his disappearance.
20:40The police
20:41realised that
20:42large sums of money
20:43have been transferred
20:45from Peter's accounts.
20:49£32,000 here,
20:51£10,000 there,
20:52£8,000 there.
20:54Those are very,
20:55very considerable sums.
20:57The two names
20:58that are linked
20:58to these cash transfers
21:00from Peter's accounts
21:01are McNaughton
21:02and Black.
21:04Paul McNaughton
21:05and Paul Black
21:06had told the police
21:07they didn't know Peter.
21:10These bank transactions
21:11proved this was a lie.
21:15McNaughton
21:15and Black
21:16were now
21:16the main suspects
21:18in Peter's disappearance.
21:21The officers
21:22who had spoken
21:23to Black
21:23and McNaughton
21:25searched the flat.
21:26They left
21:27and a while later
21:28they drove past
21:29the block of flats
21:29and they seen
21:31Black going
21:32towards the bin
21:33with two bin bags.
21:36They notified
21:37the senior officer
21:38who was in charge
21:38of the case
21:39that they had seen that
21:40and a decision
21:41was taken
21:41to go back
21:42and secure the bins
21:43because they believed
21:44that there was
21:45potentially evidence
21:46being disposed of.
21:49The Glynn area
21:50was checked
21:50and within bin bags
21:52were found
21:52various items
21:53and property
21:54including a glasses case
21:55and a pair of glasses
21:57that were broken.
21:58These glasses
21:59were confirmed
22:00to be similar
22:01to those that Peter wore
22:02and this started
22:04to paint a picture
22:05of something untoward
22:06having happened to Peter.
22:10It would be fair
22:11to say
22:11that by this point
22:12the police
22:14are thinking
22:14this is not
22:15a missing person
22:16this is a murder
22:17but they don't
22:18have a body.
22:22On the 17th of August
22:24detectives arrested
22:26McNaughton and Black
22:27for the murder
22:28of Peter Caution
22:29but with no body
22:30and no confession
22:32proving their guilt
22:33would be an uphill battle.
22:35Six days had passed
22:36since the 75-year-old
22:38had vanished.
22:39Six days for the pair
22:40to erase
22:41every trace of Peter
22:43in the hope
22:44that he would never
22:46be found.
22:56On the 17th of August
22:582022
22:59in Edinburgh
23:0129-year-old
23:02Paul McNaughton
23:03and 65-year-old
23:05Paul Black
23:06were arrested
23:07for the murder
23:08of Peter Caution
23:09but police
23:10were still putting together
23:11a picture
23:12of exactly
23:13what had happened.
23:14They wanted
23:15to learn more
23:16about the dynamic
23:17between the two men
23:18that they had
23:19in custody.
23:33They'd known each other
23:34on and off
23:34for about 10 years
23:35and in fact
23:37in the last few months
23:38before Peter's disappearance
23:40McNaughton has actually
23:41gone to live
23:41with Black.
23:43He said he was being
23:45evicted
23:45and he had nowhere
23:46to live
23:47and he probably
23:47said to Black
23:48can I just come
23:50and stay
23:50for a few nights?
23:51That is actually
23:53a very very common
23:54manipulative tactic
23:56to be able
23:57to get into
23:58the middle
23:58of somebody's life
23:59and start drawing
24:01from all of
24:02their resources
24:04probably not having
24:05to pay
24:06and all of that
24:06kind of thing
24:07and then being able
24:08to carry that situation
24:09on.
24:09I think McNaughton
24:11absolutely used
24:13and manipulated
24:15Black for all
24:17sorts of reasons.
24:19Black was besotted
24:22and obsessed
24:22with McNaughton
24:23and I kind of
24:25worshipped the ground
24:26he walked on
24:27so I think McNaughton
24:29was in a very powerful
24:30position over Black.
24:32I don't think
24:33the police were
24:34in any doubt
24:35that McNaughton
24:36was the dominant force
24:38in the partnership.
24:39He was the younger,
24:40stronger,
24:41certainly the biggest ego.
24:44Black by comparison
24:44was rather timid
24:45and quite quiet
24:46and so they concentrate
24:48on McNaughton
24:49but they don't know
24:51anything for sure.
24:53With both men
24:54under arrest
24:56police needed
24:57to build
24:58a forensic case
24:59against them.
25:01Once detectives
25:02had taken Black
25:03and McNaughton
25:04into custody
25:04a full forensic search
25:06of the flat
25:07at Seafield Road
25:08was carried out
25:09and during that search
25:11they didn't find
25:12a huge amount
25:12of items relating
25:13to Peter
25:14but they did find
25:15blood splats
25:15on the carpet.
25:18DNA analysis
25:20identified
25:20that the red staining
25:21was in fact blood
25:22and that the blood
25:23belonged to Peter.
25:25There is no doubt
25:26the police
25:27are increasingly confident
25:28that McNaughton
25:29and Black
25:30are guilty
25:30of Peter's murder
25:31but they haven't got
25:33the final bits
25:34of the evidence.
25:35Yes, plenty of circumstantial
25:37enough to charge
25:38the pair
25:39with Peter's murder
25:40but there is still
25:42the nagging question
25:43of how he was killed
25:46where he was killed
25:47and why he was killed.
25:51Investigators still
25:52didn't have
25:53the full picture
25:54but they had enough
25:55to charge McNaughton
25:57and Black
25:58for Peter's murder.
26:00Both men, however,
26:02refused to speak
26:03so investigators
26:04needed to follow
26:05the evidence
26:06to find Peter.
26:08McNaughton seemed
26:09to be the one
26:10who'd orchestrated
26:11this murder.
26:13They wanted to learn
26:14more about
26:15how he knew
26:16Peter Coshin.
26:18McNaughton and Peter
26:20met on a dating app
26:21and I think probably
26:23McNaughton recognised
26:24straight away
26:25that Peter was
26:26quite a vulnerable man.
26:27He was much older
26:29he was 75 years old.
26:30He had physical
26:32vulnerabilities
26:33in that he had
26:34Parkinson's disease
26:35and I think McNaughton
26:38probably saw someone
26:39he could manipulate
26:40and control
26:41and use
26:42and that's exactly
26:43what he did do.
26:45The evidence hinted
26:47at a potential
26:48sexual relationship
26:49between the two men.
26:51It appeared that
26:52Peter gave McNaughton
26:54small amounts
26:55of money at first
26:56but it had started
26:58to increase.
27:00McNaughton has taken
27:01sizable amounts
27:02of money from
27:03Peter's bank's account.
27:05Tens of thousands
27:05of pounds
27:06clearly sped that money.
27:08Peter himself
27:09was concerned
27:10that the money
27:11was disappearing
27:12and called the bank
27:13and tried to find out
27:14what was going on
27:15and failed to do so.
27:17Police discovered
27:18that Peter had called
27:19the bank
27:20just days before
27:21his disappearance.
27:23They may have uncovered
27:25a potential motive
27:26for the murder
27:27but there was still
27:28no body.
27:29The investigation
27:30focused on
27:31what McNaughton
27:32and Black
27:33had been up to
27:34in the days
27:35before their arrest
27:36hoping it would
27:37lead to Peter.
27:42McNaughton and Black
27:43do not look like
27:44guilty men.
27:46They're not acting
27:47as though something
27:48terrible has happened.
27:49On the contrary
27:49they're acting
27:50in an extremely
27:51nonchal way.
27:52After Peter goes
27:54missing
27:54they go to
27:55McDonald's.
27:56They take money
27:57out of a cash machine
27:58using Peter's card.
28:00The following day
28:02they go to a fun fair
28:03in Fife
28:04with a friend.
28:06Detectives
28:07tracked down
28:07this friend
28:08to see if she
28:09could provide
28:10any new leads.
28:12She had told officers
28:14when she spoke
28:16to them
28:16that McNaughton
28:17and Black
28:18had stolen
28:18a suitcase
28:19from her
28:20when they last
28:21visited her.
28:22That would have
28:22been suspicious
28:23to the officers
28:24given they were
28:24looking for a body.
28:26This was a major
28:28lead.
28:28It was looking
28:29likely that Peter's
28:31body had been
28:32transported
28:32elsewhere.
28:34Police found
28:35CCTV footage
28:37of McNaughton and Black
28:38in a shop
28:38purchasing
28:39various cleaning
28:40products including
28:40bleach, air fresheners,
28:43lengths of ropes
28:44and two shovels
28:46and a doobie.
28:48That raised police
28:49suspicions even further.
28:51The inquiry moved
28:52in a dramatic fashion.
28:53The police at that
28:53stage knew
28:54I would imagine
28:55that they were
28:55looking for
28:56a body that's
28:57been buried.
29:00As police
29:01continued to follow
29:02the money
29:03they discovered
29:04another purchase
29:06that McNaughton
29:07had made.
29:08Among the many
29:10leads the police
29:11have is that
29:12they realise
29:13that McNaughton
29:14has bought
29:14a Vauxhall
29:15Vectra car
29:16for £750
29:17in the wake
29:18of Peter's
29:19disappearance.
29:20The police realised
29:21that McNaughton
29:22has bought
29:22a car
29:23an unbelievable
29:24bit of evidence.
29:25We need to find
29:25a car
29:26and we need to
29:26find it quickly.
29:27It would be
29:27the forefront
29:29of their mind.
29:31Using cell
29:32tower technology
29:34investigators
29:34began to build
29:36a picture
29:36of where
29:37the pair
29:38had travelled.
29:42They gradually
29:43tracked down
29:44the fact
29:44that the two
29:45of them
29:45got in the car
29:46and drove
29:47to somewhere
29:49in Northumberland.
29:50They did a loop
29:52coming back up
29:53through the
29:53Scottish borders
29:54through Gala Shields
29:55and Hoyke
29:56and returned
29:56back to Edinburgh.
29:58The following night
29:59they did the same
30:00journey
30:00about the same
30:01time when it
30:02was dark
30:02they left
30:03Edinburgh
30:03and set off
30:05on the journey
30:05again
30:06and at that
30:07point they were
30:08able to ascertain
30:09there was several
30:10areas that they
30:11had stopped at
30:11on the way
30:12down on the
30:13second journey.
30:14You could
30:15certainly make
30:15assumptions
30:16that the first
30:17trip was a
30:18trip to find
30:19out exactly
30:19where the
30:20body should
30:21be disposed
30:21of and the
30:22possibility
30:23of an agreement
30:24thereafter that
30:25they would
30:25return to that
30:26general area
30:26take the body
30:27there and dispose
30:28of it there.
30:30Using this
30:31lead the police
30:32launched an appeal
30:33focused on this
30:35specific area.
30:37I'm appealing
30:38for anyone
30:38who may have
30:39been on the
30:39Scottish borders
30:40and Northumberland
30:41including travelling
30:42the A7
30:43or the A68
30:44or any other
30:45roads in these
30:46areas during the
30:47hours of darkness
30:48on either Monday
30:49the 15th or
30:50Tuesday the 16th.
30:52I'm also keen to
30:53speak to anybody
30:54who travelled those
30:55areas regularly
30:56and has a dash
30:57cam.
30:58Please check the
30:59footage as it may
31:00have captured
31:00something which
31:01could prove vital
31:02in our ongoing
31:03inquiries to
31:04locate Peter.
31:06Police Scotland
31:08and Northumberland
31:09police teamed up
31:10in the search
31:11for Peter.
31:12On the 4th of
31:14September over
31:15three weeks after
31:16the 75-year-old's
31:17disappearance an
31:19officer spotted
31:20something.
31:25He discovered a
31:27disposable blue
31:28glove and a
31:29turquoise blue
31:30suitcase both of
31:33which were of
31:33interest to the
31:34investigation.
31:35He then became
31:37aware of the smell
31:39of decomposition.
31:40At that point he
31:42made the decision
31:42to close that
31:44area off and seal
31:45it off as a
31:45potential crime
31:46scene.
31:47Later a cadaver
31:49dog was brought
31:50in to search the
31:51area.
31:53In the undergrowth
31:54the dog gave the
31:56officers an
31:56indication that it
31:57had made a
31:58discovery.
31:59The remains found
32:00near to the
32:01suitcase were
32:02confirmed to be
32:03human but the
32:05body was so badly
32:06decomposed that
32:07dental records were
32:09sent for comparison
32:10to see if this was
32:12Peter.
32:13In this instance a
32:15forensic odontologist
32:16examined medical
32:17records and compared
32:18those to the human
32:19remains at the scene
32:20and identified Peter.
32:23This would have been a
32:24big moment there would
32:25be some relief not just
32:27from an investigative
32:27sense but to have
32:28found the body and to
32:30give some closure to
32:31family and friends that
32:32this body has been
32:32found.
32:35Peter had finally been
32:37found but police still
32:39didn't know how he'd
32:40been killed.
32:42Due to the condition of
32:44the body in advanced
32:45stages of decomposition
32:46the pathologist was
32:47unable to determine
32:48cause of death or what
32:50had happened to Peter.
32:52Despite this police felt
32:54they had a compelling
32:56murder case against the
32:57two men and they
32:59continued to gather
33:00evidence.
33:03The police seized
33:04McNaughton's phone and
33:06established that they'd
33:07carried out a number of
33:08extremely suspicious
33:09searches.
33:09Some of these searches
33:10related to what happens
33:12the bodies when they die.
33:13Deterioration of the
33:14bodies.
33:15Much imprisonment can be
33:17handed out for
33:17abductions.
33:19There were Google
33:20searches like does a
33:21body go stiff after
33:24death.
33:25Obviously they're worried
33:26about how they're going
33:27to transport the body
33:28and how small they can
33:29make it and does a body
33:31leak so again this is
33:33how can we do this
33:34without being found out
33:36at all.
33:37So they didn't know an
33:39awful lot and they left
33:40a massive trail of their
33:42planning in those Google
33:44searches.
33:46Detectives had a clear
33:48case that this wasn't
33:49spontaneous.
33:52McNaughton had planned to
33:53kill Peter.
33:55McNaughton's phone was also
33:57able to show how they got
33:59Peter to the flat that
34:01evening.
34:03McNaughton and Black used a
34:05dating app to lure Peter
34:07to the flat.
34:08They used the app and set up
34:09fake accounts and fake
34:10names and made contact with
34:12Peter and invited him to
34:15the flat.
34:16Peter attended not knowing
34:18it was McNaughton and Black
34:20who were behind these fake
34:21accounts.
34:22I don't think he'd have
34:24gone anywhere near that
34:24flat if he thought McNaughton
34:26would have been there.
34:27He didn't actually know
34:28Black so when he walked in
34:31quite potentially saw McNaughton
34:35there he probably at that
34:39point would have been very
34:40frightened.
34:45All the evidence pointed
34:47towards McNaughton being the
34:48orchestrator of Peter's
34:50murder.
34:51He wanted his money and he got
34:53Black to help him.
34:55As the trial grew closer the
34:57question remained.
34:59Would both men maintain their
35:01silence or would the truth about
35:03Peter's murder finally be
35:06revealed?
35:15In the summer of 2023, 29-year-old Paul
35:20McNaughton and 65-year-old Paul Black
35:24awaited trial, charged with the
35:26murder of Peter Caution.
35:29On the 2nd of August 2023, Paul McNaughton
35:33appeared in court.
35:35In a shock turn of events, McNaughton
35:38entered a guilty plea.
35:46He would have seen the massive trail of
35:50evidence that he had left behind.
35:53There's no way he's getting away with
35:57this.
35:59This wasn't McNaughton suddenly having
36:02pangs of guilt or anything like that.
36:04This was, how do I minimise the harm to
36:08myself?
36:10The trial for McNaughton's co-accused, 65-year-old
36:15Paul Black, began on the 7th of May 2024.
36:20It was decided that McNaughton would not be
36:23sentenced until the court had heard
36:25Black's defence.
36:27Black pleaded not guilty, placing the
36:30blame firmly on McNaughton.
36:34During the trial, an unusual witness took
36:37the stand.
36:39McNaughton came in to give evidence against
36:41his co-accused, Black, so the case was
36:44unique because you had a man who has a
36:46year earlier admitted to killing Peter.
36:48And disposing of his body, now giving
36:50evidence against his co-accused and his
36:53friend.
36:54And in his evidence, he told the jury and he
36:57claimed that Black had killed Peter by using a
37:01plastic bag to suffocate him moments after Peter
37:04entered the flat on Seafield Road.
37:06Not only did he blame Black, but it was the
37:10first time that McNaughton had given a
37:12motive for the murder.
37:14He stated that Peter had become aware of the
37:19fraud that they were committing against him and
37:21requested that they pay that off by giving him
37:25sexual favours for a year.
37:27I do not believe he said, pay me back with
37:29sexual favours.
37:31That's how McNaughton's mind works.
37:33That's not how Peter's mind worked.
37:36If everything was OK between those two, they
37:39didn't need this elaborate scam to get Peter round to
37:42Black's flat.
37:45I think Peter was going to go to the police and
37:48McNaughton was in a panic about that.
37:53And literally had to shut him up, had to stop him.
37:58And I think that's why Peter was killed.
38:03During McNaughton's testimony, he also admitted some
38:07shocking information about the initial police search of the
38:11flat.
38:15As they were in the house, Peter's body was under the bed
38:18in the bedroom whilst the officers were there.
38:20And even after the officer carried out a cursory check in
38:23that room, it was revealed in court that the body was
38:27believed to have been under the bed at that time.
38:30I think McNaughton was quite a confident person.
38:33And when the police came knocking, he probably wasn't
38:36expecting that.
38:37He's got a body in the flat that he needs to hide.
38:41Bodies are quite big things.
38:43And probably putting him under the bed was the only thing
38:48that was open to him at that particular point in time.
38:52Even if the police were going to start searching through the
38:54cupboards, they're probably not going to crawl under the bed.
38:56It was this house call that prompted McNaughton and Black to
39:01try and get rid of Peter's body as soon as possible.
39:07There wasn't really a coherent plan.
39:11For getting rid of Peter's body.
39:13And that becomes more obvious when you track what these two
39:16have done.
39:17They try and buy themselves some time by making it look as if
39:21Peter is alive and not dead.
39:24They then take Peter's body in the car and they go to a location and
39:30they think, well, we're going to bury him here.
39:32They start digging, find out that it's a lot more difficult, actually, to dig a hole big
39:38enough to put a body in so that they abandon that plan.
39:43And that's when they go to a different location and think, well, we're just going to chuck the
39:48body here, dump it, and we're just going to run.
39:50And that's what they did.
39:58Whilst he admitted to helping McNaughton, Black's defence team painted the picture that he was
40:05simply following the younger man's lead.
40:09Given that Paul Black appeared to be obsessed with Paul McNaughton, it appears that his
40:15position was that he just went along with it because he did not want to upset McNaughton.
40:19Whether that was out of fear of violence or out of fear of losing his friendship or the
40:25relationship, whatever it was they were involved in.
40:28Black seemed to be under some kind of a spell with McNaughton.
40:34He was definitely being coercively controlled.
40:38He probably felt himself to be in love with him and would really go along with anything
40:45that McNaughton said, no matter how difficult it might be for him.
40:49And it must have been very, very difficult when it gets to court and McNaughton completely
40:56turns on him and tries to put all of the blame onto Black.
41:07The jury agreed with Black's version of events.
41:11He was found not guilty of murder, but guilty of perverting the course of justice.
41:18Lord Scott was now ready to sentence both men.
41:23He sentenced McNaughton to life with a minimum of 22 years, and he sentenced Black for perverting
41:31the course of justice, not for murder, to five and a half years.
41:37They expressed no remorse for what they've done, and it didn't appear to affect them in
41:43any way, shape or form.
41:45The trial had attracted a lot of publicity, and McNaughton's name and image were widely
41:51circulated.
41:53The story piqued the interest of Paul, who'd encountered a man he thought was called Ryan
42:00three years before Peter's murder.
42:03Paul was working as a journalist at the time when he first heard the killer's real name.
42:09I then instantly searched as Paul McNaughton on Facebook.
42:14So I clicked on the photo on his profile, and I recognised the face.
42:19It took me a few minutes, and I was confused, because when it clicked, when the penny dropped
42:25as to who this person was, that was Ryan, who I had met in a bar that night.
42:31I was in disbelief, I was shocked, I felt physically sick.
42:36I just kept looking at the picture and swiping through the profile pictures, and I genuinely
42:42could not believe what I was seeing.
42:45But at the back of my head as well, I believed it, because of how violent and aggressive he
42:52was with me that night.
42:58As a journalist, Paul decided he would share his story publicly about his own encounter
43:04with McNaughton.
43:07I decided to speak out, purely to raise awareness of who you speak to in a bar or who you
43:13speak
43:14to online.
43:15They may seem nice at the time, but you just don't know what happens behind closed doors.
43:20On the surface, McNaughton had appeared to both Paul and Peter Caution as a charming young
43:27man.
43:28But what lay beneath was something much more dangerous.
43:33McNaughton has killed Peter due to greed.
43:36He wanted Peter's money.
43:37I think he was clear about that.
43:38Peter never deserved any of what happened to him.
43:41Absolutely he did not.
43:43And Black and McNaughton treated him wickedly.
43:47I think the word that best describes McNaughton is user.
43:52He uses everybody that comes into his path, no matter the cost.
43:59He will never change.
44:07McNaughton's greed was limitless.
44:10He exploited Peter Caution in life, then discarded him in death.
44:15This was no impulse killing.
44:18It was planned, executed, and concealed with chilling intent.
44:24Ruthless, remorseless, and driven solely by game.
44:30Paul McNaughton has undoubtedly secured his place as one of Britain's most evil killers.
44:37.
44:38.
44:38.
44:38.
44:38.
44:39.
44:39.
44:42.
44:42.
45:09Transcription by CastingWords
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