CHHOKAR TRIAL ON
Murder accused mentally fit to face charges
A MAN charged with murdering Surjit Singh Chhokar more than 16 years ago will be fit to stand trial, his lawyer said yesterday.
Ronnie Coulter, 46, is accused of striking the waiter repeatedly on the body with a knife or similar instrument in Wishaw, Lanarkshire, on November 4, 1998.
He is also accused of pursuing Surjit, repeatedly punching him in the head and body and repeatedly striking him on the head and body with a wooden baton or similar instrument while acting along with two other men.
At the last hearing at the High Court in Glasgow in March, questions were raised over whether Coulter would be fit to stand trial.
But yesterday his lawyer, Donald Findlay QC, told the court: “It is now clear that he will be fit to stand trial at some point in time.”
He added: “It is abundantly clear that Mr Coulter has good days and bad days in terms of his mental health and has a significant problem in relation to concentration levels and short-term memory.”
The lawyer said that meant preparing for trial will take longer and the trial itself is likely to take more time than anticipated as the accused will have to be “managed in terms of following and understanding the trial”.
Coulter, from Wishaw, faces a total of five charges, all of which he denies.
Lord Turnbull fixed a further preliminary hearing for June 30, when the issue of a trial date may be discussed.