Murder accused Ronnie Coulter confessed to his nephew that he had stabbed restaurant worker Surjit Singh Chhokar, a court has heard.

Andrew Coulter, 35, was giving evidence for a second day at the trial of Ronnie Coulter, who denies murdering Surjit Singh Chhokar in Garrion Street, Overtown, North Lanarkshire, on November 4, 1998 by stabbing him.

Ronnie Coulter has lodged a special defence blaming his nephew Andrew Coulter and David Montgomery.

All three confronted 32-year-old Mr Chhokar following a row about a stolen £100 Giro cheque, the trial heard.

Witness Andrew Coulter admitted striking Mr Chhokar on the arm with a home-made bat but denied stabbing him, and said he did not have a knife with him.

The 35-year-old told prosecutor Alex Prentice QC his uncle came to his flat shortly after the incident in Garrion Street.

Mr Prentice asked: "How was he?" Andrew Coulter replied: "Not too good."

The prosecutor asked: "How did he appear?" The witness replied: "I don't know how to describe it - shaken."

Mr Prentice asked Andrew Coulter: "Did your uncle say anything to you?" He answered: "Aye, that he had stabbed Chhokar."

Andrew Coulter was asked if he could recall the exact words used by his uncle and stated: "Not exactly. I was in shock after that. I couldn't believe it."

He described Ronnie Coulter as being "distressed" and added his uncle had been physically sick.

The witness was asked by Mr Prentice: "How did you feel about the fact a knife had been used?" He replied: "Gutted."

He was asked if his uncle had said anything else and told Mr Prentice: "No, I just couldn't believe it."

The High Court in Glasgow heard Andrew Coulter handed himself in at Wishaw police station on November 5, 1998.

He was interviewed and told police he had hit Mr Chhokar with the bat but claimed there had been no one else with him that night.

Mr Prentice asked Andrew Coulter: "What were you thinking at the time?"

He replied: "I was going down for a murder that I never committed. I was getting the blame of stabbing him and I never had a knife."

Andrew Coulter was then asked why he did not mention what his uncle had told him to the police and said: "He's my uncle. I was trying to protect him."

The court heard Andrew Coulter appeared in court charged with murder but was released seven days later.

Andrew Coulter told the jury he never killed Chhokar, adding: "If I did it I'd put my hands up to it. I didn't kill him. The man in the dock did it."

The convicted killer then told Ronnie Coulter's defence QC Donald Findlay: "I'm a one time killer, not a two time killer."

He was asked by Mr Findlay: "If you had actually managed to hit Chhokar on the head with your lead-filled bat, that alone might have killed him," and he replied: "It could have done."

Ronnie Coulter denies the murder. He also denies forging a £100.70 Giro cheque and breaking into Mr Chhokar's flat and stealing a cooker.

The trial before judge Lord Matthews continues.