A murder suspect is accused of killing a Fife man and trying to set fire to his body, before posing as him to get Viagra.
David Barnes allegedly killed Ean Coutts, 60, on September 3 2019.
Prosecutors have listed a number of locations the murder may have happened including Kinglassie and Lochgelly in Fife or elsewhere in Scotland.
Mr Coutts – also known as Ian – is said to have been attacked by “means unknown”.
Barnes, 32, also faces a charge of attempting to defeat the ends of justice.
It is said he removed Mr Coutts’ body inside a wheelie bin from a property in Kinglassie before dumping the remains at an abandoned industrial unit in Glenrothes.
Barnes is accused of then attempting to burn the corpse in a bid to avoid detection for the alleged crime.
Theft and fraud charges
Among the 36 charges Barnes faces are a series of fraud allegations in connection with the dead man, including stealing a Nationwide bank card in his name days before the alleged killing.
He is said to have used it to withdraw a total of £5,610 and for purchases including at McDonald’s and Poundstretchers in Glenrothes and to buy tickets for an “entertainment show” at Rothes Hall in Glenrothes and at a leisure centre in Dunfermline.
It is said on October 24 2019, he pretended to staff at a medical centre in Cardenden that he was Mr Coutts.
He allegedly applied for – and got – a “repeat prescription” of Viagra and nicotine patches.
Barnes also allegedly applied for a credit card in Mr Coutts’ name, stating he was a £56,000-a-year self-employed forklift driver.
The final charge claims Barnes contacted the Department of Work and Pensions on February 10 2020, again claiming to be Mr Coutts.
He is said to have stated he was living in a caravan in England, had no access to the internet and no longer needed benefits.
Prosecutors claim this was to “induce” the DWP that Mr Coutts was still alive.
Dead body mystery
Mr Coutts’ remains were discovered at Whitehill Industrial Estate, Glenrothes in September 2020 but it was months before he could be identified.
Police even issued a photo reconstruction of his face in the hope he would be recognised.
The case against Barnes called for a hearing at the High Court in Glasgow.
His legal team pled not guilty on his behalf and a trial was fixed for November 2023.
