31:, Scotland. Two prosecutions – in 1999 and in 2000 – were unsuccessful. Two inquiries were held that reported in 2001. Eighteen years after the crime, in October 2016, a conviction was made. This was only the second time in Scottish legal history that a person was tried twice for the same crime. This controversial case raised a number of complicated legal issues, including the
93:
In
October 2001 two reports were published. Solicitor Dr Raj Jandoo looked at the liaison arrangements between the police, the Crown office and procurator fiscal service and the relatives and partner of Mr Chhokar. Jandoo's report found that Strathclyde police had failed to investigate whether the
154:
sentenced
Coulter to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 19 years and 8 months (twenty years, including the four months he had already spent in custody). The following month he lodged a notice of his intention to appeal against his conviction and sentence with the Appeal Court in Edinburgh.
102:, looked at the crown office. Campbell did not unearth institutional racism, but did identify some failings and recommended nine major changes for the prosecuting authority. Chhokar's family had not cooperated with the authors of either of the reports.
43:
Three men confronted Surjit Singh
Chhokar on the night of 4 November 1998. Ronnie Coulter, his nephew Andrew Coulter and another man, David Montgomery, went to see Chhokar following a dispute over a £100.17
639:
723:
262:
85:
In
February 2001 Ronnie Coulter and Sandra Tierney were each given the maximum prison sentence for contempt of court and sentenced to two years' imprisonment.
698:
321:
67:, who was at the time Scotland's longest-serving judge, presided over the trial and was highly critical that only one person appeared in the dock. The
548:
713:
708:
587:
617:
661:
728:
618:"Killer who boasted of 'perfect' crime convicted of 1998 murder of waiter Surjit Singh Chhokar after double jeopardy law abolished"
703:
64:
48:. Chhokar was stabbed three times, with one wound piercing his heart. Chhokar collapsed in front of his partner Liz Bryce.
718:
151:
125:
24:
253:
693:
312:
95:
60:
733:
644:
99:
124:
In March 2015 Ronnie
Coulter appeared at the High Court of Glasgow and was again charged with murder.
622:
575:
113:
521:
495:
198:
28:
78:
In
November 2000 Andrew Coulter and David Montgomery were put on trial but acquitted. By now
109:
72:
35:
rule, as well as institutional racism on the part of investigating police and prosecutors.
32:
470:
226:
140:
129:
687:
147:
acted for the
Chhokar family. Coulter was eventually convicted of Chhokar's murder.
136:
106:
553:
443:
421:
395:
369:
343:
284:
171:
144:
94:
murder was racially aggravated. The report contained forty recommendations. Sir
79:
640:"Surjit Singh Chhokar murder trial: Profile of convicted killer Ronnie Coulter"
135:
The re-trial of Ronnie
Coulter was held in October 2016 and lasted four weeks.
45:
666:
203:
588:"Surjit Singh Chhokar killer Ronnie Coulter to appeal life sentence"
199:"Ronnie Coulter convicted of 1998 Chhokar murder after second trial"
549:"Man found guilty of murdering Surjit Singh Chhokar after retrial"
496:"Chhokar murder: Lord Advocate orders new probe into 1998 killing"
522:"Ronnie Coulter appears in court over Surjit Singh Chhokar death"
71:
was launched on 22 March. It received support from the father of
51:
Within days of the murder, the three suspects had been arrested.
63:, although that had only led to a conviction of assault.
471:"Scottish justice racist, murder case review finds"
311:
252:
100:justice of the supreme court of Northern Ireland
75:, a black teenager murdered in London in 1993.
662:"Man guilty of 'perfect murder' 17 years ago"
8:
724:November 1998 events in the United Kingdom
59:In March 1999 the case was heard at the
163:
444:"Chhokar: Campbell report at a glance"
7:
422:"Chhokar: Jandoo report at a glance"
254:"Sikh killing echo of Lawrence case"
227:"Stabbing that exposed Scots racism"
638:Ferguson, Andrew (5 October 2016),
699:1998 murders in the United Kingdom
469:Seenan, Gerard (25 October 2001).
225:Seenan, Gerard (8 December 2000).
14:
396:"Chhokar trial pair sent to jail"
324:from the original on 18 June 2022
265:from the original on 18 June 2022
616:Cramb, Auslan (5 October 2016),
547:Brooks, Libby (5 October 2016).
313:"Lawrence father backs campaign"
370:"Race claims in Chhokar murder"
344:"Two cleared of Chhokar murder"
285:"Race claims in Chhokar murder"
172:"Race claims in Chhokar murder"
69:Chhokar Family Justice Campaign
714:High Court of Justiciary cases
709:Deaths by stabbing in Scotland
251:Burrell, Ian (18 March 1999).
82:was spokesman for the family.
21:murder of Surjit Singh Chhokar
1:
310:Burell, Ian (23 March 1999).
23:occurred in November 1998 in
660:Sky Staff (6 October 2016),
197:BBC Staff (5 October 2016).
729:People murdered in Scotland
116:to look at the case again.
750:
89:Inquiries into the system
16:1998 murder in Scotland
704:British Indian history
150:On 31 October, Judge
719:November 1998 crimes
576:HMA v Ronnie Coulter
623:The Daily Telegraph
594:. 14 November 2016
376:. 28 November 2000
350:. 28 November 2000
291:. 28 November 2000
178:. 28 November 2000
114:Strathclyde Police
61:Glasgow High Court
502:. 26 January 2012
450:. 24 October 2001
424:. 24 October 2001
402:. 8 February 2001
143:QC defended, and
130:Donald Findlay QC
29:North Lanarkshire
741:
694:1998 in Scotland
677:
676:
674:
656:
655:
653:
634:
633:
631:
604:
603:
601:
599:
584:
578:
573:
567:
566:
564:
562:
544:
538:
537:
535:
533:
518:
512:
511:
509:
507:
492:
486:
485:
483:
481:
466:
460:
459:
457:
455:
440:
434:
433:
431:
429:
418:
412:
411:
409:
407:
392:
386:
385:
383:
381:
366:
360:
359:
357:
355:
340:
334:
333:
331:
329:
315:
307:
301:
300:
298:
296:
281:
275:
274:
272:
270:
256:
248:
242:
241:
239:
237:
222:
216:
215:
213:
211:
194:
188:
187:
185:
183:
168:
137:Alex Prentice QC
120:Re-trial in 2016
110:Frank Mulholland
96:Anthony Campbell
73:Stephen Lawrence
749:
748:
744:
743:
742:
740:
739:
738:
684:
683:
681:
672:
670:
659:
651:
649:
637:
629:
627:
615:
612:
607:
597:
595:
586:
585:
581:
574:
570:
560:
558:
546:
545:
541:
531:
529:
528:. 25 March 2015
520:
519:
515:
505:
503:
494:
493:
489:
479:
477:
468:
467:
463:
453:
451:
442:
441:
437:
427:
425:
420:
419:
415:
405:
403:
394:
393:
389:
379:
377:
368:
367:
363:
353:
351:
342:
341:
337:
327:
325:
318:The Independent
309:
308:
304:
294:
292:
283:
282:
278:
268:
266:
259:The Independent
250:
249:
245:
235:
233:
224:
223:
219:
209:
207:
196:
195:
191:
181:
179:
170:
169:
165:
161:
122:
91:
57:
41:
33:double jeopardy
17:
12:
11:
5:
747:
745:
737:
736:
734:Scottish Sikhs
731:
726:
721:
716:
711:
706:
701:
696:
686:
685:
679:
678:
657:
635:
611:
610:External links
608:
606:
605:
579:
568:
539:
513:
487:
461:
435:
413:
387:
361:
335:
302:
276:
243:
217:
189:
162:
160:
157:
141:Donald Findlay
126:Lord Bannatyne
121:
118:
90:
87:
65:Lord McCluskey
56:
53:
40:
37:
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
746:
735:
732:
730:
727:
725:
722:
720:
717:
715:
712:
710:
707:
705:
702:
700:
697:
695:
692:
691:
689:
682:
669:
668:
663:
658:
647:
646:
641:
636:
625:
624:
619:
614:
613:
609:
593:
589:
583:
580:
577:
572:
569:
556:
555:
550:
543:
540:
527:
523:
517:
514:
501:
497:
491:
488:
476:
472:
465:
462:
449:
445:
439:
436:
423:
417:
414:
401:
397:
391:
388:
375:
371:
365:
362:
349:
345:
339:
336:
323:
319:
314:
306:
303:
290:
286:
280:
277:
264:
260:
255:
247:
244:
232:
228:
221:
218:
206:
205:
200:
193:
190:
177:
173:
167:
164:
158:
156:
153:
152:Lord Matthews
148:
146:
142:
138:
133:
131:
128:presided and
127:
119:
117:
115:
111:
108:
107:Lord Advocate
103:
101:
97:
88:
86:
83:
81:
76:
74:
70:
66:
62:
54:
52:
49:
47:
38:
36:
34:
30:
26:
22:
680:
671:, retrieved
665:
650:, retrieved
645:Daily Record
643:
628:, retrieved
621:
596:. Retrieved
591:
582:
571:
559:. Retrieved
554:The Guardian
552:
542:
530:. Retrieved
525:
516:
504:. Retrieved
499:
490:
478:. Retrieved
475:The Guardian
474:
464:
452:. Retrieved
447:
438:
426:. Retrieved
416:
404:. Retrieved
399:
390:
378:. Retrieved
373:
364:
352:. Retrieved
347:
338:
326:. Retrieved
317:
305:
293:. Retrieved
288:
279:
267:. Retrieved
258:
246:
234:. Retrieved
231:The Guardian
230:
220:
208:. Retrieved
202:
192:
180:. Retrieved
175:
166:
149:
139:prosecuted,
134:
123:
105:In 2012 the
104:
92:
84:
77:
68:
58:
55:First trials
50:
42:
20:
18:
145:Aamer Anwar
132:defended.
112:instructed
80:Aamer Anwar
46:Giro cheque
688:Categories
592:The Herald
159:References
673:9 October
652:9 October
648:, Glasgow
630:9 October
561:9 October
210:9 October
667:Sky News
626:, London
557:. London
526:BBC News
500:BBC News
448:BBC News
400:BBC News
374:BBC News
348:BBC News
322:Archived
289:BBC News
263:Archived
204:BBC News
176:BBC News
25:Overtown
269:22 July
598:13 May
532:13 May
506:13 May
480:13 May
454:13 May
428:13 May
406:13 May
380:13 May
354:13 May
328:13 May
295:13 May
236:13 May
182:13 May
39:Murder
675:2016
654:2016
632:2016
600:2017
563:2016
534:2017
508:2017
482:2017
456:2017
430:2017
408:2017
382:2017
356:2017
330:2017
297:2017
271:2017
238:2017
212:2016
184:2017
19:The
690::
664:,
642:,
620:,
590:.
551:.
524:.
498:.
473:.
446:.
398:.
372:.
346:.
320:.
316:.
287:.
261:.
257:.
229:.
201:.
174:.
98:,
27:,
602:.
565:.
536:.
510:.
484:.
458:.
432:.
410:.
384:.
358:.
332:.
299:.
273:.
240:.
214:.
186:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.