DETECTIVES have today appealed for help in finding the body of a man murdered more than 45 years ago.
John Couglan, then 57, was reported missing by his family in 1975 after he left for work and never returned.
Five years later a colleague, Michael Topham, 35, was arrested after confessing to police that he had murdered John while they were working on a house in the West End.
Topham told police he had buried John in Alltcailleach Forest in Aberdeenshire.
But weeks of searching by police using the latest technology available at the time failed to locate his remains.
John Coughlan murder: Shocking tale of how Glasgow cops found killer Michael Topham
Topham pleaed guilty to John’s murder at the High Court in Glasgow in September 1980 and was given life.
Police Scotland said they are still committed to locating the spot where he callously dumped his victim.
Detective Chief Inspector Suzanne Chow said:”The body of John Coughlan has not been found and we continue to appeal to anyone with information that would help find his remains to get in touch.
“Our thoughts are very much with his family and we would like to see them get some kind of resolution.
“If anyone has information then please contact Police Scotland on 101 or make a call anonymously to the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”
The Coughlan case is the only one in Scottish legal history where a man admitted murder with the body of his victim still missing.
Topham was caught while detectives were investigating a series of jewellery thefts in Pollokshaws in the spring of 1980.
A young suspect told police he had been working with Topham and they had been listening to a radio programme about the afterlife.
Topham told the youth he thought one of the “ghost” voices played on the radio was of a man he had murdered.
There were no unsolved murders at the time that matched what the police were being told.
They were however able to find the address where the crime was supposed to have taken place.
It appeared that Topham had battered John Couglan to death while working on a customer’s home.
A forensic search of the flat found bloodstains found on the floorboard matching the victim’s blood group.
Topham was brought in for questioning and admitted murdering John with a hammer and a lead weight.
A new investigation was launched in 2018 after human remains were found on the Invercauld Estate, where the Alltcailleach Forest is sited, but there was no match with the missing caretaker.
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