The Scottish Witch Trials
The Scottish Witch Trials
Episode Summary
TRIGGER WARNING – Contains adult themes and some strong language
Witches may seem to be just part of Hallowe’en but there’s more to witches than you might expect from somewhere like bonnie Scotland.
Please Be Advised – This episode may contain content that some may find distressing. As always, we advise listener discretion. This episode it not suitable for anyone under the age of 13.
Listen on:
13 of the most chilling witch trials in Scottish history | The Scotsman
Five of Scotland’s infamous witchcraft trials | The Scotsman
The Life and Death of Bessie Dunlop, The Witch of Lynn – Wee White Hoose
Bessie Dunlop, The Witch of Dalry – Mysterious Britain & Ireland
Everything You Need to Know About Scotland’s Historic Witch Hunts
Scottish Witchcraft trials | Green Witch
Heresy, they say? James VI and the witch trials – Scotland Magazine
The Life and Death of Bessie Dunlop, The Witch of Lynn – Wee White Hoose
North Berwick Visitor Guide – Accommodation, Things To Do & More | VisitScotland
Witch trials in early modern Scotland – Wikipedia
Great Scottish witch hunt of 1649–50 – Wikipedia
Survey of Scottish Witchcraft – Introduction to Scottish Witchcraft
Escape of Charles II – Wikipedia
North Berwick witch trials – Wikipedia
The Scottish Witchcraft Act – University of Edinburgh
The Scottish Witchcraft Act on JSTOR
Witch Pricking Needle – Wikimedia Commons
Scottish Murders is a production of Cluarantonn
Hosted by Dawn.
Guest: Kathryn Herron
Researched and Written by Peter Bull and Dawn Young
Produced and Edited by Dawn Young and Peter Bull
Production Company Name by Granny Robertson
Music:
Dawn of the Fairies by Derek & Brandon Fiechter
Gothic Wedding by Derek & Brandon Fiechter
The Lynda Spence Murder
The Lynda Spence Murder
Episode Summary
27 year old Lynda Spence liked to live the high life; fast cars, expensive champagne, but in April 2011 her high life came to an abrupt and brutal end.
Please Be Advised – This episode may contain content that some may find distressing. As always, we advise listener discretion. This episode it not suitable for anyone under the age of 13.
Listen on:
Lynda Spence trial: Family heartache over ‘terrible ordeal’ – BBC News
Welcome To Naz-tra-demus Magazine: Lynda Spence: Two Jailed For Torture Murder
‘Unimaginable’ suffering and death of Lynda Spence – BBC News
Lynda Spence trial: Coats and Wade guilty of torture case murder – BBC News
Lynda Spence guard in tears at murder trial | Glasgow Times
Men get life for ‘monstrous’ murder – BelfastTelegraph.co.uk
Pair lose Lynda Spence murder appeals | Glasgow Times
Lynda Spence: Former accused breaks down in court | The Scotsman
Lynda Spence’s ‘monstrous’ killers jailed for 63 years | UK | News | Express.co.uk
Cross-dressing killer found with homemade shank down his trousers in prison – Daily Star
Lynda Spence trial: Murder accused pair DNA found | Edinburgh News
Murder is Everywhere: The Tragic Tale Of Lynda Spence
Calls for review into Lynda Spence’s role as police mole before her murder | HeraldScotland
Lynda Spence’s killers jailed for 33 and 30 years | HeraldScotland
Lynda Spence trial: Missing woman’s blood ‘in flat’ – BBC News
Lynda Spence murder accused ‘confessed’, court told | The Scotsman
Lynda Spence murder trial hears of victim’s crime gang links – The Sun
Glasgow torture killer kicked off uni course after being caught with blade in Shotts prison
Lynda Spence so tense before she vanished, mum tells court | Scotland | News | Express.co.uk
‘Tell parents where Lynda remains are’ | Glasgow Times
Lynda Spence trial: Murder accused ‘made threat’ to parents – BBC News
‘Warning to Lynda Spence parents’ – The Sun
Ulster Defence Association – Wikipedia
Jury to resume deliberations in Lynda Spence murder trial – Daily Record
Lynda Spence trial: Missing woman was ‘police mole’ – BBC News
Lynda Spence murder Victim had thumb chopped off – YouTube
Lynda Spence – The Free Library
Hunt for missing Glasgow woman Lynda Zejaf stepped up – BBC News
Lynda Spence detectives look for wheelie bin witnesses – BBC News
Murder is Everywhere: The Tragic Tale Of Lynda Spence
Lynda Spence trial: Ex-accused ‘did not see murder’ – BBC News
Lynda Spence so tense before she vanished, mum tells court | Scotland | News | Express.co.uk
Birthday appeal for missing Lynda Spence – BBC News
Lynda Spence case: Ex-accused admits part in ‘plan’ – BBC News
APPEAL AGAINST CONVICTION AND SENTENCE BY PHILIP WADE AND COLIN COATS AGAINST HER MAJESTY’S ADVOCATE
Crime spy Lynda Spence was left to her fate by elite squad – The Sun
Cole:
Trigger Warning – This story is pretty gruesome and graphic, so listener discretion is advised.
Dawn:
27 year old Lynda Spence liked to live the high life; fast cars, expensive champagne, but in April 2011 her high life came to an abrupt and brutal end.
Dawn and Cole:
Hey Wee Ones, I’m Dawn, and I’m Cole, and this is Scottish Murders.
[THEME TUNE]
100 THINGS WE LEARNED FROM FILM PROMOTION
Dawn:
West Kilbride is a village in North Ayrshire located on the west coast of Scotland by the Firth of Clyde looking across the Firth of Clyde to Goatfell and the Isle of Arran. Being on the coast, there are some magnificent views. West Kilbride was also the first town in Scotland to organise an annual scarecrow festival to foster community spirit and civic pride within West Kilbride and its surrounding area. Flat 4 114 Meadowfoot Road is located about half a mile from the centre of West Kilbride. This property was an old house that had been split into flats, flat 4 being on the first floor with access to the attic space. It was in this attic space where Lynda Spence spent the last 13 days of her life. She had been abducted, taken to this flat and held against her will. Lynda’s last days consisted of being systematically tortured daily by her captors, her toes were crushed by garden shears, her kneecaps were smashed by a golf club, her hands were burnt with a steam iron, her thumb was chopped off, and the tip of her little finger was cut off. Lynda was tied to a chair, not being allowed to use the bathroom and so had to urinate and defecate where she sat. It’s then believed that she was suffocated, beheaded and burnt. What had gone so wrong in Lynda’s life that it had ended in such a horrendous way? Lynda Spence was born on the 8th of September 1983 to her doting parents James and Patricia Spence. Lynda was brought up in Penilee, Paisley, which is about 7.5 miles and approximately 12 kilometres west of Glasgow. She started her schooling at the nearby Ralston Primary School before heading to Paisley Grammar School when she was 12. Upon starting at Paisley Grammar School Lynda got herself not one but two jobs in local chip shops, where she worked until she was 14. However, Lynda was always thinking of others, and so she made it her passion to help other local children also find work at Christmas time so they too could have some pocket money. In an interview in the Daily Record, Lynda’s mother, Patricia, said that Lynda was a typical teenager and that she never had any bother with her at all. She was a kind, happy girl who was always smiling and positive, and never had a bad word to say about anybody. While Lynda was still at school and between working her two chip shop jobs, she also joined the RAF Air Cadets, which she absolutely loved. So much so that when she was 17 Lynda and her mum attended an RAF recruitment drive, where apparently the recruiter said that he would be happy to take Lynda, but that she maybe shouldn’t put all her eggs in one basket and to come back to see him if she was still interested when she turned 19. However, Lynda wasn’t one for standing still and letting the grass grow under her feet, so by the time she was 19 she had already left school and secured a job working in a call centre for a bank. Over the next five years, Lynda continued to work in call centres, before deciding to try her hand at providing financial services herself, this was despite Lynda’s only experience in finance coming from working in call centres. Lynda’s new finance business mainly involved obtaining mortgages for those with poor credit histories. Lynda’s business wasn’t successful and in December 2008, a year after starting her finance business, she had to declare herself bankrupt, having debts at that time of about £40,000, which is about $56,000. However, a year later in December 2009, once the debts were written off, Lynda, who was now 26, decided to start a new business called Fraser Properties, using money her parents had given her that they had inherited from the sale of her late grandmother’s bungalow. Lynda rented premises on Great Western Road, which is about 10 miles or approximately 16 kilometres north west of Paisley, where she grew up. Lynda’s new mortgage and letting venture appeared to be extremely successful and Lynda had been able to buy two flats in a well-off part of Glasgow, she had a Mercedes convertible and she liked to buy expensive Cristal champagne. Lynda also enjoyed eating in expensive restaurant and attending bars, strip clubs and casinos. Lynda also chose to share her apparent success and wealth with her friends, and she enjoyed taking her friends out for meals and nights out, paying for everything. This kindness also extended to a school friend, Amanda Robertson, who she employed to work in her finance business. She was definitely living one hell of a high life and appeared to be enjoying every second of it. Despite Lynda’s business taking up much of her time, as well as her enjoying herself when she wasn’t working, she still found time each Saturday to take her mum out to dinner and for a drive in her car. She also took her mum shopping each week, and sometimes would even take her to the theatre. Lynda and her mum had a great relationship, they were apparently best friends as well as mother and daughter, laughing when together and enjoying each other’s company. They would talk on the phone every day and Lynda’s mum described her daughter as a loving, caring girl. From the outside Lynda was living the high life and had not a care in the world, however, this could not be further from the truth. Lynda had quickly realised that she was not going to be making the money or big deal she craved if she continued to just focus on obtaining mortgages for people, and so she began to stray into different avenues. One such avenue was her becoming involved in property development. This particular development was known as Lochburn Gate and was in Maryhill in Glasgow, which was about 2.4 miles or 3.8 kilometres away from Lynda’s offices on Great Western Road. Now, Lynda was described as being confident, charming and likable and, as such, people trusted her with their money. And so, when Lynda approached Glasgow’s Chinese community regarding this new property development she was involved in, many people wanted to be part of it and so happily handed over their hard-earned money to Lynda. It was reported that Lynda had 30 clients that wanted a home in this new development and had amassed about £175,000 in deposits from them, which would be about £240,000 and $330,000 in today’s money. Everyone was happy, the clients had a lovely new property they would be purchasing when completed, and Lynda had secured the kind of money that she had wanted. However, as time went on and the development she promised never came to fruition, the clients who had given her their deposit money were beginning to get a bit concerned. Their concern then turned to anger and dread when, after continually attending the financial company premises and demanding an update, and later their money, neither were forthcoming. They then turned to Strathclyde Police, where they claimed that they had been defrauded. Strathclyde Police in turn started an investigation into Lynda. Lynda was never satisfied and was always on the lookout for her next big deal and how she could make fast cash, and her next big deal came to her in the form of 41 year old Colin Coates, who she had been introduced to by a mutual business friend, Tony Kelly. Colin was a former I.T specialist and made his fortune in London’s financial services industry. At one time it looked like he had it made, a millionaire, wife, kids, but the money had gone to his head and had made him selfish. He started drinking through excess and developed a cocaine habit, as well as an explosive temper, leading him to losing nearly everything. He also had a history of violence against his ex-wife, for which he was fined, against his ex-wife’s sister and an elderly man who had stopped to intervene, for which he was given two years probation, also for beating up a Celtic fan, for which he was given a suspended sentence, and in October 2010 he was convicted and fined for assaulting a cabin crew member and threatening passengers on a flight from Glasgow the previous year. It’s not known if Lynda knew this information about Coates, but in early 2010 Lynda and Coates entered into a business deal, where Coates invested £85,000, which is about £111,000 and about $154,000 in today’s money, with Lynda, which was all the money he had.
Cole:
That was all the money he had? I thought you said he was a millionaire?
Dawn:
Yeah, but because of the drinking and drugs he’d pretty much lost everything. That’s all he had left?
Cole:
That’s a lot of money to spend on alcohol and drugs.
Dawn:
I can think of better things to spend that amount of money on.
Cole:
It depends on the day for me really. (laughter)
Dawn:
Lynda promised he would receive a return of about £131,000 or $182,000. However, things started to go wrong quickly when Coates realised that he wasn’t going to receive any of his money back, because there was no such deal and Lynda had already spent all of his money. Lynda however wasn’t going to let this little detail get in her way, and so she made up another lie this time telling Coates that he would in fact earn millions from a land and property deal that she had ongoing near Stanstead Airport, if he would just wait a little longer. And so he waited and waited, but no deal ever materialised. Lynda kept stringing Coates along though and eventually she told him that she was going to be paid in Danish government bonds from another deal, which was worth about £6.6 million, which is about £8.6 million and $11.8 million in today’s money, and that he would get his cut from this. He agreed. However, again, there was no such deal. So, in desperation, Lynda persuaded a printer in Glasgow to produce fake Danish bonds and she gave Coates his cut. However, Coates, not being a particularly stupid man, realised pretty quickly that the bonds were actually fake, and finally he had had enough of Lynda’s lies and started to plan his revenge. Lynda’s worries didn’t stop with Coates however. Never to let the grass grow under her feet and always on the lookout for more money opportunities, Lynda had also made a deal with property developer, John Glen, who had given her £180,000, about £236,000 and $325,000 in today’s money, as part of a non-existent deal, and he too was wanting his money back. Lynda however had already spent this money too. John became very abusive, going as far as sending her text messages threatening to cut her fingers off and chop her head off. At this point Lynda finally started to accept that things were getting out of control and her life was beginning to unravel, and she was getting scared.
Cole:
I get the feeling that Lynda’s not really learning from her mistakes and she just keeps making the same mistakes over and over again.
Dawn:
Yeah, I get that feeling as well. I just want her to stop and just pay some money back!
Cole:
And I feel like you never actually know who you’re getting into business with. And, I mean, I would be scared at this point.
Dawn:
Yeah, I would be scared as well. If somebody’s threatening to cut your fingers off. Yeah, a bit scary. So, while Lynda’s manipulating ways of getting people to part with their money and never paying them back was finally coming to a head, something that Lynda had been involved in almost ten years earlier while working in a bank was also beginning to come back to haunt her. When Lynda was 17 years old she became involved with an Albanian man called Sokal Zefraj, who was an asylum seeker. Mr Zefraj wanted to stay in the UK and Lynda, always wanting to help others, decided the best course of action would be for Mr Zefraj to marry a UK citizen. However, Lynda herself was unable or unwilling to marry him as she didn’t want her parents to know about him, so Lynda asked her school friend, Amanda Robertson, the same friend who would become an employee at Lynda’s finance business, to do her the favour of marrying Mr Zefraj to help him out. Amanda agreed to this deal and the two were married. Then apparently approximately four years later, Amanda divorced Mr Zefraj and Lynda supposedly married him herself, a fact that Mr Zefraj denied, stating that he never in fact married Lynda. It’s not known which version is true, but Lynda did use his surname when making business deals. However, Lynda did have numerous aliases that she used when she was securing fake UK passports for people from Eastern Europe, another sideline of Lynda’s. And so due to her alleged marriage to Mr Zefraj and her apparent close relationship with him, shortly before Lynda’s disappearance, she was in the process of being recruited as an informer or a Covert Human Intelligence Source (CHIS) by the now defunct agencies Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency (SCDEA) and the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA), who both were interested in the activities of Mr Zefraj. Apparently the go-ahead to recruit Lynda as an informant had been given on the 14th of April 2011. So, had this information somehow come to light and was Lynda kidnapped and tortured due to her apparently being in the process of becoming an informant? Lynda was getting in deeper and deeper and it was only a matter of time before her dealings caught up with her.
Cole:
She’s juggling a lot of plates this girl.
Dawn:
Yeah, I don’t know how she can keep up.
Cole:
And she’s got fake aliases for fake passports to help people come into the UK?
Dawn:
Yes, that’s correct. She’s busy. Lynda’s world really began unravelling in late 2010 when her school friend, Amanda Robertson, left Lynda’s finance business due to customer complaints and rarely being paid. Amanda was however still able to access Lynda’s emails, and Amanda had sent a text message to a mutual friend following reading a specific email sent to Lynda in which she said to the mutual friend “She’s got some deal involving Arabs and Albanians going on with peeps in New York. It’s all a bit dodgy sounding.” Was this another business deal Lynda was involved in to try and keep her head above water? But was it too little too late? Despite Lynda’s pending downfall, she spent Christmas 2010 in a plush hotel in Glasgow drinking Cristal champagne, but by the New Year things were visibly falling apart as Lynda’s finance business finally dissolved. Sadly though the failing of Lynda’s finance business didn’t just impact Lynda, it also impacted her parent. As when they had given Lynda the money from her grandmother’s bungalow sale for Lynda to start up her own business, Lynda had agreed with her parents that she would pay their rent, but Lynda was now unable to continue doing this and therefore her parents were made temporarily homeless. Lynda then had to apply for benefits and Job Seekers Allowance, and in March she pawned her jewellery. Lynda’s high life at this time must have felt like a distant memory, apparently telling people that if a deal didn’t go through soon she would be in a lot of trouble. Was this the same deal that her former employee and friend Amanda had seen in her emails? No one will ever know. Whichever deal Lynda had been trying to secure, it is doubtful that Lynda could have predicted just how much danger she was shortly to be finding herself in. According to Lynda’s mum, Patricia, Lynda’s behaviour had started to change towards the end of 2010, where she would still call her mum daily but she apparently became distant and said that she was too busy to meet her mum as much. This behaviour would continue until about 6pm on Wednesday the 13th of April 2011 when Lynda went to her parents home in Castlebank Gardens in Glasgow, a mere 2.3 miles or 3.7 kilometres from Lynda’s finance business for her mum’s birthday, giving her flowers as a gift. Patricia said that the pair had kissed and cuddled and Patricia had asked Lynda where they were going for her birthday, however, she said that Lynda was very tense saying that she had to leave but that she would be back in half an hour. She never returned, and this was the last time her parents ever saw her. It is not known what Lynda did for the remainder of the day on Wednesday the 13th of April and why she wasn’t able to go out to celebrate her mum’s birthday, but on Thursday the 14th of April Lynda was apparently lured from her home in Glasgow to a house in Broomhill Path, also in Glasgow, about 2.2 miles and 3.7 kilometres from where Lynda’s parents were currently residing, which belonged to none other than Colin Coates.
Cole:
And he was the person that she gave fake bonds to, right?
Dawn:
That’s right. Yep. Lynda drove to his property in a silver Vauxhall Astra car that had been hired for her on the 1st of April 2011. Upon arriving at the property she came face to face with both Coates and his friend Philip Wade. Wade, who was 40 years old, was a drug dealer and also enforced drug debts, and he just happened to have a grievance against Lynda as well, as apparently Lynda had extorted £2,000 or $2,700 from Wade’s family.
Cole:
So, did she know whose house she was going to? Because I wouldn’t have willingly gone to his house after selling him fake bonds.
Dawn:
No, I think she didn’t know where she was going, whose house it was. She probably thought, you know, she was good at blagging her way out of any situation, so I don’t think she thought she would have a problem with this one.
Cole:
Did she know that Wade was going to be there?
Dawn:
No, I don’t think she knew anything about Wade being there, that probably threw her off a wee bit.
Cole:
Right, okay.
Dawn:
I certainly don’t think she was aware of the danger she was walking into when she went there.
Cole:
Okay. Yeah. Maybe she just should have thought about that before she, you know, went ahead with it.
Dawn:
Yeah, just a wee second thought.
Cole:
Yeah. Yeah.
Dawn:
Either way, when she arrived at the property there was no way she could have anticipated or expected what happened next. Coates and Wade restrained Lynda and transported her to a flat in Meadowfoot Road, West Kilbride, which is a 47 minute drive south east of Coates’ home. A 47 minute drive where Lynda would have been absolutely terrified, thinking about what fate awaited her. Flat 4, 114 Meadowfoot Road belonged to David Parker, who was 36 and was a drug addict. Parker apparently had been approached at the beginning of April 2011 by a fellow drug addict, Paul Smith who was 45, to ask if it was possible if he could let his flat out for a couple of days. Parker had agreed to this, as he had not actually been living in the flat since October 2010 due to problems with flooding. Apparently a couple of days afterwards Parker was picked up by Coates, Wade and Smith and they all went to the flat, where Parker was told to remove photographs and anything that had his name on it. Parker said at this point he began to wonder what exactly was going on and what he was getting himself involved in, but said nothing and did as he was told. Parker and Smith were at the property on the 14th of April when Wade and Coates arrived there with Lynda, as they had been hired by Coates and Wade to stay at the property with Lynda in between Coates and Wade’s daily visits. Lynda was forced up to the attic, and Parker said he had heard “raised and muffled cries.” Once Coates and Wade had left, Parker went up to the attic and said he saw Lynda tied to an office chair by her waist and arms, and had tape over her mouth, with glasses on covered in tape so she wasn’t able to see her surroundings or where she was. He said that he was shocked and scared and just couldn’t believe what was happening. He said that when he spoke to Smith about his concerns Smith told him that Coates and Wade were serious guys not to be messed with and to just go along with it, what choice did they have now? Unbeknownst to Lynda, she would spend the last two weeks of her life in this attic, tied to a computer chair, facing the most horrendous torture imaginable. Apparently when Coates and Wade returned Wade had a torture kit with him, which included large garden shears, bandages, surgical tape and a bucket. Coates and Wade would apparently attend the attic daily, but as Wade was six foot six inches he was unable to stand up properly in the attic, and so it was left to Coates to inflict the torture on Lynda while Wade just stood and watched from the side-lines. Parker and Smith apparently would give Lynda cups of tea and soup when Wade and Coates left, and were well aware of her injuries and what was happening to her. They knew that she had injuries to both of her hands, her toes, bruising to her face, and she also apparently complained her legs were sore, but they said that they were too frightened to do anything to help her, too frightened to save her life. Parker said that Lynda was in a frightened state at one point saying that she wished she hadn’t got herself into this mess. All Parker said he could do was urge Lynda to tell Coates and Wade what they wanted to know. Apparently Lynda asked Parker at one point “Do you think Colin and Phil will ever let me go?” Parker was unable to answer this question. In the meantime, obviously Lynda’s parents would have been concerned, as, yes, Lynda had become distant and they hadn’t been seeing her as often as before, but she still called daily and obviously hadn’t been able to since being abducted on the 14th of April.
Cole:
Was anyone aware of Lynda’s disappearance or was anyone searching for her?
Dawn:
Well no, not initially, because, allegedly, in the days following Lynda’s disappearance, Coates and mutual business friend, Tony Kelly, paid a visit to Lynda’s parents home and warned them about contacting the police, telling them Lynda owed Coates £10,000 or $14,000, and that she had pawned two of his watches. On hearing this information apparently Lynda’s mum, Patricia, said “If she’s stolen your money I’m going to report it to the police. She has no right stealing money.” In response, allegedly Coates jumped to his feet and banged the couch saying “If the polis look into my computer I’ll get years, and don’t forget I’ve got UDA people and London people.
Cole:
The polis. [Laughter] UDA?
Dawn:
Yeah. It means Ulster Defense Association and it’s an Ulster loyalist parliamentary group in Northern Ireland that was involved in the troubles in Ireland.
Cole:
Okay. So did Coates have involvement with these groups or people?
Dawn:
Well, it’s not actually confirmed anywhere that this was the case, but Lynda’s parents took it seriously enough as they didn’t get the police involved for another month after this. Apparently, Mr Spence did ask Coates if he knew where Lynda was and he said that he didn’t.
Cole:
I don’t think that would have put my mind at rest though.
Dawn:
No, me neither. I would have at least checked it out and tried and got hold of Lynda.
Cole:
Yeah, definitely.
Dawn:
And then on the 20th of April 2011, six days after Lynda just disappeared and stopped calling her parents, Mr and Mrs Spence received a phone call on their mobile phone from Lynda.
Cole:
What? Had she escaped?
Dawn:
No, she hadn’t, and it’s never been explained why she was allowed to make this call. Maybe it was in order to stop her parents actually getting in touch with the police, maybe Coates realised that as time went on his threat would be less effective. Whatever the reason, she was allowed to call her parents. Mr Spence said that they were on their way to the supermarket and the phone rang and the caller ID said it was Lynda. Lynda’s mum answered but she was so distraught Mr Spencer had to take the phone off her. He asked Lynda where she was, but she apparently was very evasive saying that she was in London. He said that she seemed normal but he was not reassured by this phone call at all, and she would not tell him exactly where she was and just kept being evasive. Before ringing off, Lynda told her parents that she would speak to them again soon, but this was the last time they would ever speak to their daughter again.
Cole:
Okay. So, I don’t really understand, because if she’s been kind of tied up to a chair and she’s been tortured, why would she not ask for help or say I’m being held against my will?
Dawn:
I thought about that and maybe she was just trying to protect her parents. I mean she now knew exactly what Coates and Wade were capable of, maybe she thought if she didn’t comply then they might hurt her parents too. Or she thought if she did comply they might let her go. I mean, she probably wasn’t in her best frame of mind after having been abducted, tortured and held against her will for six days at this point. How she managed to come across as normal is a mystery.
Cole:
Yeah, I guess I suppose she didn’t actually know where she was, so I guess maybe she just didn’t know what was going on and she thought the best thing to do was to kind of follow what they told her to do.
Dawn:
Yeah. I can’t explain it at all. I don’t know what it was about. It didn’t appear to be a coded message, or at least if it was Lynda’s parents didn’t understand it. Anyway, on the same day this call was made by Lynda to her parents, Wade and Coates had already paid their daily torture visit to the flat in Meadowfoot Road, where Coates had cut off the tip of Lynda’s finger. However, later the same day Smith said that Coates came back by himself to the flat, which was unusual as Coates and Wade always came together. He said that Coates was extremely angry at this point and he said that he was “going to take her thumb”. Coates then apparently proceeded to go up to the attic, where Lynda could be heard to cry out “No Colin!” Coates then reappeared in the living room and indicated that he had Lynda’s thumb in his pocket. After Coates left, Parker went to the attic and saw that Lynda had tape around her hand, but that there was nothing where her thumb was supposed to be.
Cole:
So, did he leave the house with her thumb? Why would he even take that with him?
Dawn:
Well, because he had a plan. While Lynda was being tortured and questioned by the pair of them about her financial dealings, she’d mentioned a man that she was doing business with called John Glen, and that she had given a lot of Coates’ money to him. So, on the same day, the 20th of April, Coates decided to pay John Glen a visit to try and get his money back from him, as he obviously wasn’t getting it back from Lynda, and maybe he felt that taking Lynda’s thumb with him would give him more leverage. And he would be right. As when Coates threatened John and showed him Lynda’s thumb in a plastic bag and demanded he give him his money back that Lynda had given to him, John was frightened enough by this to hand over what money he could to Coates. Now you’d think at this point Coates would be satisfied because he’s got some of his money back and he’s taken out some vengeance on Lynda by the torture that he had carried out, however, Lynda’s nightmare would continue for a further seven days and nights, where she continued to be beaten and subjected to horrific torture daily.
Cole:
I just don’t understand why he would continue to do that when he’s already got what he wanted.
Dawn:
I have no idea. It’s horrific. He’s just evil.
Cole:
He really does sound evil.
Dawn:
So, on the 27th of April, 13 days after Lynda was first abducted, Coates and Wade told Parker and Smith that they could leave the property. Both Parker and Smith at this time apparently had the feeling that this wouldn’t be good news for Lynda, and still they didn’t go to the police to try to save Lynda’s life. Lynda’s parents had also not informed the police that Lynda was missing at this time, so no one would be coming to save Lynda. Apparently on the 28th of April, Coates dragged Lynda into the bathroom and killed her, before cutting off her head with a hacksaw. He then put her remains in the boot of Lynda’s silver Vauxhall hire car. On the 29th of April, using mobile phone records of the pair to track their journey, Coates and Wade drove Lynda’s hire car to a friend of Wades’, Lee Winyard’s, caravan in Tighnabruaich in Argyll, which is a two-hour drive away from the flat at Meadowfoot Road, West Kilbride. Wade apparently asked to use Lee’s boat, saying that they had something to get rid of, however, Lee refused their request. It’s not known where Lynda’s car or body were taken. A week after Lynda’s body was removed from the attic, Coates, Wade, Parker and Smith started on a month-long clean-up of the flat, where every square inch was scrubbed with bleach, and all the furniture, including the chair Lynda was tied to, bedding , crockery and carpets, were removed, as well as the floorboards being ripped up and replaced. Apparently the majority of the items removed were burned by Wade.
Cole:
So, it sounds like they did a really good job of cleaning up then, they’re not taking any chances to find any of Lynda’s DNA or of them being found in the flat either.
Dawn:
Yeah. They certainly did do a good clean-up job, however, not quite good enough, and they completely forgot that bought items can be traced too. The first time that Lynda is actually reported missing in any way is on the 13th of May 2011, a full two weeks after Parker and Smith were told to leave the flat where Lynda was being held, when fraud investigators called at Lynda’s parents home asking for her whereabouts, due to Lynda being investigated for defrauding a number of people in Glasgow.
Cole:
Oh yeah, the Chinese community went to the police didn’t they? So, they started an investigation into that. So that was exactly a month later when she was reported missing?
Dawn:
Yeah. it was a bit of a gap between going missing and being reported missing. So, by this time Coates and Wade presumably thought that they had gotten away with what they had done to Lynda, as they had tortured Lynda for two weeks, disposed of her body, and still there was no police involvement or even a report of Lynda being missing. Coates must have thought the threat he had made to Lynda’s parents had resulted in their silence. And this continued even when the police arrived at Lynda’s parents home looking to speak to Lynda on the 13th of May. Lynda’s parents did tell the police that they hadn’t seen Lynda since the 13th of April, but also that they’d spoken to her by phone on the 20th of April. They also didn’t divulge the fact that Coates had visited them and warned them from contacting the police. Therefore, a more serious missing person inquiry did not begin. It might have been assumed at this time that Lynda had chosen to disappear based on the allegations she was facing rather than anything else . At this point only posters were put up detailing that Lynda had been last seen on the 13th of April 2011 and was believed to be driving a silver Vauxhall car. It wouldn’t be until around three weeks when a full-scale missing person inquiry finally began. This was because Lynda’s mum, Patricia, had received a phone call from Lynda’s mobile phone, but it wasn’t Lynda calling. On the 2nd of June 2011, Lynda’s mobile phone had been found in a bin at a cafe in Kilbirnie, Ayrshire, a 20-minute drive north east from where Lynda was being held, and also apparently about a mile away from where Wade lived. The lady who found the phone called Lynda’s mum saying “I’ve called mum. I’ve found this phone.” The woman immediately took the phone to the local police station. It was following Lynda’s phone being found that Mr and Mrs Spence went immediately to the police station and told them everything they knew regarding Lynda and Coates’ business dealings, including the fact that Coates had visited them and threatened them into not contacting the police about Lynda’s disappearance. Finally on the 14th of June 2011 an appeal was made by Lynda’s mum and dad where Lynda’s mum was incredibly upset and sobbed throughout the appeal. She pleaded for anyone with any information about Lynda’s disappearance to contact the police. The investigation started with the police carrying out an extensive proof-of-life inquiry, which led to no clues about Lynda’s whereabouts. These lack of clues demonstrated to detectives that Lynda’s life had most likely been taken, not a case of choosing not to make contact but not being able to. Now, obviously, police were investigating Coates due to his business dealings with Lynda and also due to the threats he had made to Lynda’s parents about not calling the police, but the police had got nowhere with Coates and found that no one was willing to talk about him, so they hit a brick wall. Until that is they found that an automatic number plate recognition camera had picked up Lynda’s hire car on a section of motorway which runs between Glasgow and Kilmarnock in East Ayrshire on the 20th of April, but even more interesting is that both Coates and Wade’s mobile phones were cell cited in the same area at the same time. Coates had denied that he had seen Lynda since her disappearance. So could it just be a coincidence that Coates, Wade and Lynda’s hire car were in the same vicinity at the same time? Yeah, the police didn’t think so either. But yet again the police came across a brick wall, no one was willing to talk to them. But it was becoming clear to the police that Coates and Wade were somehow involved in Lynda’s disappearance, they just needed a breakthrough, and this came in the form of John Glen on the 16th of August 2011.
Cole:
So, John Glen was the guy that Coates showed Lynda’s thumb to so that he could scare him into giving him more money, is that right?
Dawn:
Yep, that’s the guy. John Glen had been sufficiently scared by the thumb incident that he had also kept his mouth shut about what he knew. Until that is Coates paid him a visit again on the 15th of August 2011, where, before he extorted money from him, he made him strip naked. John was terrified and scared that he would become Coates’ next victim, and so this time he didn’t keep quiet but went straight to the police the next day and told them everything he knew. Armed with this new information, the police bit by bit managed to get other witnesses to come forward and talk to them about what they knew, including Pamela Pearson, a friend of Wade’s, who said that Wade had actually told her that he’d help dispose of a woman’s body, until finally even Smith and Parker admitted to the police their part in the horrific last two weeks of Lynda’s life, including the address where it all took place. On the 28th of October, six months after Lynda was murdered, police broke down the door of Flat 4, 114 Meadowfoot Road, where they were met with a completely refurbished flat and attic space. Forensic teams spent a week examining every inch of the flat and attic space and, despite the clear clean-up job, a tiny blood speck was found on the linoleum next to the bath, which following being swabbed and tested was identified as matching the DNA profile of Lynda. A fingerprint was also found on the bathroom door which was identified as belonging to Coates. So, the police had witnesses coming forward with damning statements, they had Lynda’s DNA in the flat, and now Coates’ fingerprint was placing him in the property. To add to the evidence mounting against Coates, through some great detective work, CCTV footage was found of Coates buying floorboards, sandpaper, white spirits and nails on the 25th of May 2011, presumably purchased for the clean-up job at the flat. Things were starting to seriously unravel for Wade and Coates, but it only got worse for them on the 31st of October 2011 when Coates, Wade, Smith and Parker were taken into police custody and charged with Lynda’s abduction and murder. The trial of Coates, Wade, Smith and Parker on the charge of abducting, torturing and killing Lynda Spence began on the 16th of January 2013 at the High Court in Glasgow, one year and nine months after Lynda first went missing, with all four men pleading not guilty. The jury consisted of six men and seven women. The jury were firstly made aware of Lynda’s lifestyle and of the many “deals” she had on the go where she would take other people’s money in the pretence of investing it but actually spending it herself. They were told of her financial business and of how she helped those with poor credit gain mortgages fraudulently. They were also told that Lynda had been secured as an informant by the now defunct Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency on the day she was abducted. Now, I’m going to come back to that later in the story. They were also told that Lynda was being investigated by the police in connection with a fraud allegation involving the Chinese community. They were then told of Lynda’s abduction, the horrendous torture she suffered and her subsequent murder, based on witness statements and evidence. They were told DNA evidence had been found in the flat at Meadowfoot Road proving Lynda had been there, along with Coates’ fingerprint. They heard from witnesses, including Wade’s friend, Pamela Pearson, who told of Wade’s confession that he had helped dispose of a woman’s body. As well as evidence from Wade’s friend, Lee Winyard, that the two men had driven to his caravan at Tighnabruaich and had expressed a desire to get rid of something. Lee also testified that he believed the car the two men arrived in was the same car that had been featured in the missing person poster, Lynda’s silver Vauxhall hire car. They also heard from an inmate, Peter Hadley, who had been friends with Coates while he had been in prison for suspicion of murdering Lynda, who advised that Coates told him that he had killed Lynda, that she had tape over her mouth and he’d held her nose until she died, before cutting off her head and burning her remains in a furnace, having to set it to its hottest temperature as there were” still parts of it left”. He told the courts that Coates had told him that there had been other people present when she was killed, but that apparently no one else was directly involved. Although when cross-examined by Derek Ogg QC, Hadley was accused of being a malicious self-serving liar who had simply made up this story in order to secure benefits for himself, such as an early release from prison. The jury were also played a taped police interview with Parker when he was arrested on the 31st of October, in which he denied being involved in Lynda’s murder, but talked about being aware that his golf club had been used to hit Lynda but he wasn’t sure by who only that he had found it twisted to bits. John Glen also gave evidence against Coates from behind a screen, having been forced into a protection program as he was so scared of repercussions. He told the jury that Coates had threatened to kill him and had brandished Lynda’s thumb. John Glen wasn’t the only witness that was scared of repercussions from Coates and Wade if they talked, as both Coates and Wade threatened any potential witnesses. It was suggested at the trial that even the three men that were on trial with Coates were afraid of him. Thankfully, regardless of how scared of Coates and of any repercussions people were, they were willing to come forward as witnesses for the prosecution against the four men on trial because they were disgusted by what they had learned had been done to Lynda.
Cole:
It really sounds like none of the men involved could keep their mouth shut. I can’t decide if they were boasting about what they had done hoping to scare people to be quiet or if they were just stupid.
Dawn:
Yeah, I’m not sure either. Will we go with stupid?
Cole:
I would hazard a guess it’s stupid.
Dawn:
And then on the 6th of March Parker and Smith were cleared of murder and instead a reduced charge of detaining Lynda against her will, assaulting her and attempting to defeat the ends of justice was accepted by the Crown. The pair had decided to turn on Coates and Wade and give evidence against them to save themselves. Wade and Coates continued to be on trial for the murder of Lynda and continued to deny this charge. Both Paul Smith and David Parker appeared in court on the 15th of March to give evidence against Wade and Coates. The pair both testified that they were asked by Wade and Coates to keep Lynda at the flat in Meadowfoot Road and that Wade and Coates would visit the flat daily to inflict violence on Lynda. Parker actually broke down in tears when he recounted the violence that was inflicted on Lynda, recalling one particular time he heard Lynda crying out “No Colin” just after Coates had told him “I’m taking her thumb.” The pair may have given evidence against Coates and Wade, but they still did nothing to help Lynda in the last weeks of her life. Smith justified this by saying that he was too scared to do anything saying that he quite liked his fingers the way they were. Then it was Wade and Coates’ turn to take the stand. When Wade was questioned by the prosecutor, Leslie Thomson, regarding Smith and Parker’s testimony about Wade’s involvement in Lynda’s kidnapping, torture and death, Wade replied that it was “total fantasy.” He continued to state that he had no idea of Lynda’s whereabouts, but that he hoped she would hand herself in. He also stated that when he saw her last she was alive and “just the usual Lynda.” Wade had been described throughout the trial by witnesses as Coates’ right-hand man in the abduction, torture and killing of Lynda. When it was Coates’ turn to take the stand he had a completely different story to tell about Lynda’s disappearance than anyone else that had testified already. Coates told the court that he was in fact a close friend of Lynda and that he had helped her when she had to get out of Glasgow as she was being threatened by other business associates due to unpaid debts. He went on to say that she had actually arranged to stay at the flat with Smith herself and that it was sort of a safe house for her until she could get further away from the area, and then she simply disappeared one day, taking with her Coates’ laptop and Parker and Smith’s drug stash. Because, wait for it, that was actually what the attic was being used as, a cannabis factory.
Cole:
Was there any evidence of that when the flat was taken apart?
Dawn:
Eh, no, none that I can find. I think it was just more lies. Coates said that it was actually monstrous lies that had been told about him abducting, torturing and killing Lynda. Coates said that he did think people were scared, not of him though but of the police, and that every witness that had testified was under pressure by them to tell these lies about Coates. Not surprisingly Coates also denied showing John Glen a thumb in April 2011, as well as denying that he kept Lynda on a chair in the attic at the flat at Meadowfoot Road. Coates’ defence QC, which is Queen’s Council, Derek Ogg, tried to back this up by saying that Lynda’s DNA being found in the flat could have a perfectly reasonable explanation, and that Lynda may simply have cut herself. The defence stated that the Crown had not proven that Lynda was even dead. However, Prosecutor, Leslie Thomson, QC, countered this by saying that if Lynda had indeed been laying low in the flat as suggested, her DNA would have been all over the place instead of minuscule drops of blood being all that was found, thus indicating a thorough clean-up job. She went on to state that although no body had been found Lynda’s lack of contact with her parents, who she was in constant contact with normally, could conclude that Lynda was indeed dead. Following the closing statements, the jury finally retired for deliberations on the 2nd of April 2013. It took the jury about 20 hours over five days to come to their verdicts, following the 11-week trial, but on the 8th of April 2013 Wade and Coates were found guilty of abducting, torturing and murdering 27 year old Lynda in April 2011. They found Coates unanimously guilty of murdering Lynda and disposing of her body. Wade too was convicted of both of these charges, but he was cleared of cutting off Lynda’s head. Coates was also found guilty of threatening behaviour towards John Glen and of trying to extort money from him. Before sentencing, Lord Pentland said that it was due to Parker and Smith’s “despicable and cowardly” actions of providing Coates and Wade a place to keep Lynda and by keeping guard on her that ultimately led to what had happened to her. He went on to say that Coates and Wade had been convicted of “a truly monstrous and barbaric crime”. He described Wade as a “violent, dangerous man with no respect for human life or respect for civilised society”. He went on to give his opinion on Coates saying “from the extensive evidence I am left in no doubt you were the more dominant actor. You were the prime mover behind the abduction, torture and murder of Lynda Spence. I am convinced you have a devious and cruel personality. In my view you are a ruthless and dangerous man.” As the four men’s sentences were heard, they stood with their heads bowed. David Parker, 38, was sentenced to 11 years and three months and Paul Smith, 47, was sentenced to 11 years. Philip Wade, 42, was sentenced to spend at least 30 years behind bars and Colin Coates, 42, was sentenced to a minimum of 33 years in prison. This was one of the longest jail terms that had ever been handed down in a Scottish Court. There were gasps from the gallery as the men were handed down their lengthy sentences, before being led away. Following the verdict, whilst I’m not saying Lynda’s family felt relief as their beloved daughter was still presumed dead, they certainly must have felt that justice had indeed been served. Lynda’s parents, James and Patricia, did release a statement saying “There is no verdict that will bring our daughter Lynda back or spare her the terrible ordeal that took her life. We will never begin to imagine her suffering or comprehend the cruelty of any person who would do that to another human being. We cannot begin to understand or forgive what they did to our daughter, Lynda. No words can begin to describe the heartache and pain we are suffering. Lynda was a warm, kind and thoughtful daughter and was someone who always had time for others. We miss her so much.” In this statement, Lynda’s parents thanked the lead detective involved in the murder investigation, Alan Buchanan, and his team, the prosecutors who had worked to bring their daughter’s murderer to justice, as well as an organisation called PETAL, standing for People Experiencing Trauma And Loss, who had offered them a great deal of support. The detective who was in charge of the murder investigation, Detective Superintendent Alan Buchanan, advised that he was pleased with the guilty verdicts and the sentencing. He hoped that in some way it gave some satisfaction to Lynda’s parents, especially after they had to endure the horrendous details in the court case of what had been done to their daughter. He appealed to the accused to show some common decency and tell Lynda’s family where her body was so they could lay their daughter to rest. Unfortunately, Coates and Wade have shown that they have no such thing as common decency as they have never told the family where Lynda’s body is. While there was a search carried out in February 2012 in a well at a farm at Law Brae, West Kilbride, and a field has been excavated in the search for Lynda’s body, so far the searches have turned up nothing. Sadly, due to not having Lynda’s body, the exact details of what happened to her and how she died may never be known. All there is to go on is the boasts by her killers and the confessions of their accomplices. Now, I mentioned earlier about the Court being told that Lynda had been recruited as an informant. Well, after the ourt case, senior officers were asked to investigate their dealings with Lynda, as it had emerged in Court that Lynda had actually been recruited as an informer before she had disappeared not the day off as previously thought. Well, apparently, because she was an official informer for the agency before her disappearance, things maybe should have been handled differently. For example, apparently Lynda’s handler at the defunct SCDEA actually got told that Lynda had disappeared within 48 hours of this happening, but her handler didn’t deem it necessary to inform Strathclyde Police of Lynda’s involvement with them. Sharing this information between agencies could have proven vital, not only because Lynda was an authorised Cohort Human Intelligence Source and her safety and welfare should have been protected under the law, but also because if this information had been relayed to the police 48 hours after Lynda went missing, the police presumably would have started an investigation into her whereabouts a whole lot sooner, but also it might just have given Lynda a fighting chance of being found. In my opinion, agencies need to learn to better communicate and share information so that everybody involved has the big picture instead of small parts of it, because nobody can work effectively this way. So, what happened to Coates and Wade? Well, of course, after the sentencing they both launched an appeal, stating that they were victims of a miscarriage of justice, and also a further appeal against their lengthy sentences. After reviewing their appeals, one of the judges presiding over the case, Lord Gill, said that in his view it was an overwhelming case that the accused murdered Lynda and that in his opinion there was no miscarriage of justice. As for their sentence appeal, Lord Gill said he considered their sentences to be appropriate and he saw no basis to interfere with them. The appeal judges deemed that there was overwhelming evidence that both men were guilty of the crime they were charged with. Coates continues to cause trouble in prison. In January 2019 it was reported that he had been found with a plastic pointed three-inch t-shaped weapon on him made from plastic cutlery from the canteen. As punishment, he had been put in segregation for three weeks and removed from his Open University course he had been on. He was given a four-month sentence to run alongside his life sentence for this crime and was moved to another prison. Also in 2019 it was reported that Wade, who was then 49 and in Kilmarnock prison, had been given a job counselling other convicts. Apparently he got this role after being trained by the Samaritans. Lynda’s family were up in arms about this saying that it was all rubbish, how can he have this role after the horrific crime he committed? And if he was reformed and so caring now, why wouldn’t he tell them where Lynda’s remains were and put them out of their misery? Apparently, other inmates think it’s a joke that after what he did he is in this role. But a Samaritans spokesperson said “the listener scheme is our peer support scheme which aims to reduce suicide in prisons. Volunteers select, train and support prisoners. The listeners then provide face-to-face support to fellow prisoners who are struggling to cope. We have a rigorous selection and application process.”
Cole:
I think I’m with Lynda’s family and friends here, how can this man be the right person for the job?
Dawn:
Yeah, I agree. Now, sadly, in February 2014, Lynda’s mum, Patricia, who was aged 57 at that time, was diagnosed with terminal cancer and she was given less than two years to live. At this time, she appealed again to Coates and Wade to finally tell her where her daughter was, but again this fell on deaf ears. Now, Lynda was portrayed in Court as a con artist, known for providing fake bank statements and other documents to aid people with low income or bad credit to appear able to get a mortgage or loan etc, as well as manipulating people into giving her their money for ventures and projects that never were to take place and spending their money like it was her own, however, Lynda was a daughter and loved very much. Her mother, Patricia, stated that Lynda was a loving, caring girl and that she meant everything to her.
Cole:
I think this is a really unfortunate case, and obviously Lynda didn’t deserve what happened to her. I think she made some questionable decisions, but to kidnap and torture someone for two weeks over money, it doesn’t seem… I mean murder never seems justified, but to kidnap and torture someone over money doesn’t seem right at all.
Dawn:
It’s not right Cole. It’s just absolutely horrendous what they did to her, regardless of what she had done.
Cole:
Yeah, it really was horrendous.
Dawn:
Lynda clearly was a swindler and she had made many people victims of her manipulation and they did deserve justice for having their money taken from them, but by means of the proper legal channels. Lynda did not deserve what happened to her. Lynda was a victim too.
And that’s the end. If you’ve enjoyed this episode and know just the person who’d also like it, please share it with them, don’t keep it to yourself.
Cole:
Please also get in touch on social media if you have any questions, comments or suggestions, and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can. All social media and contact details are on our website scottishmurders.com, as well as all the source material and photos related to this episode.
Dawn:
So that’s it for this week, come back next time for another episode of Scottish Murders.
Dawn and Cole:
Join us there. Bye.
Granny Robertson:
Scottish Murders is a production of Cluarantonn.
Scottish Murders is a production of Cluarantonn
Hosted by Dawn and Cole
Researched and Written by Dawn Young
Produced and Edited by Dawn Young and Peter Bull
Production Company Name by Granny Robertson
Music:
Dawn of the Fairies by Derek & Brandon Fiechter
Gothic Wedding by Derek & Brandon Fiechter