In a unique criminal case shrouded in mystery, Murder Trial: Body in the Warehouse, follow’s the family’s quest for justice and goes behind-the-scenes of the Scottish High Court.

After the remains were discovered by an urban explorer visiting a disused industrial estate in Glenrothes, a national appeal follows leading to the identity of the victim being revealed as 60-year-old father and army veteran Ean Coutts.

“It was an area which had just been completely neglected for many, many years and this individual had been callously dumped,” explains crime scene manager, DS Scott Roxburgh. “It was a pretty sad scene to be honest, certainly not where you want your loved one’s final resting place to be.”

Murder Trial goes to the High Court in Edinburgh where a major police investigation has led to 33-year-old David Barnes facing trial. In court are Ean’s family: his sister Audrey and two of his children, Emma and Louise.

“You kind of almost feel a sense of guilt in a way because we were estranged,” says Emma. “But he was still our dad and there were still a lot of feelings there. You know we could have had that chance to get back in contact with him but the fact that someone’s taken that chance away for us to ever be able to reconnect with him, I think that was quite gut wrenching.”

As the courtroom drama intensifies, witnesses come forward who observe the accused putting a large object in the boot of his car and the prosecution outlines a chilling case of murder, fraud and deceit, all for financial gain.

However, the trial is clouded by an unnerving mystery surrounding the exact nature of Ean’s death. The defence say that without this crucial evidence, the prosecution cannot prove that Barnes is responsible for the crime.  

With unprecedented access inside the Scottish justice system this gripping episode follows the shocking trial as Ean Coutts’ family seek the truth and justice.

Murder Trial: Body in the Warehouse debuts on BBC iPlayer on Tuesday 28 January