A man accused of murdering a waiter almost 18 years ago is being set up as a "scapegoat", his lawyer has claimed.

In his closing speech to jurors at the trial of Ronnie Coulter, Donald Findlay QC told jurors: "There is no justice if the wrong man is convicted and the man who did it is allowed to remain free."

Coulter, 48, from Wishaw, denies murdering Surjit Singh Chhokar in Garrion Street, Overtown, North Lanarkshire on November 4, 1998 by stabbing him.

He has lodged a special defence to the murder charge blaming his nephew, Andrew Coulter, and David Montgomery.

Mr Findlay told the jurors: "People have rallied around Andrew Coulter and have lied at various stages, they have lied in this court, they have lied before you. They are trying to move the blame as much as they can onto Ronnie Coulter.

"They have their own agenda - making Ronnie the killer at the expense of the real killer.

"Andrew Coulter killed Surjit Singh Chhokar. Ronnie Coulter didn't kill him."

The QC reminded the jury that Andrew Coulter was a convicted killer who had fatally stabbed Patrick Kelly in 1999.

He described him as "a young man who had a predilection for carrying knives. We say he carried a knife that night, as he did when he killed Patrick Kelly".

Mr Findlay told the jury that Ronnie Coulter was prosecuted for the murder in 1999 and acquitted and was now being prosecuted again based on what he described as "wicked, self-serving and downright evil evidence".

He added: "It may be an attempt to bring closure to the Chhokar family. We never bring closure in these courts. You can't bring someone back to life, you can't take away the grief. It's not about closure, it's about justice."

Both Andrew Coulter and David Montgomery gave evidence during the trial and denied stabbing Mr Chhokar to death.

Earlier in his speech Mr Findlay accused many of the Crown witnesses of "lying," claiming Ronnie Coulter's sister Margaret Chisholm and former sister-in-law Noreen McPolland had lied in "a most evil and despicable way."

He also accused other witnesses of making up lies against Ronnie Coulter.

The trial before Lord Matthews continues.