Through heart in violent, calculated attack
when he was a final year law student at Strathclyde University said:“I never thought in my wildest imaginings though it would take nearly 18 years to get justice for the family.
“We can be proud of what the campaign achieved. I would hope that now no family, black or white, would ever again be treated like the Chhokar family were at the first trial of Ronnie Coulter.
“Revolutionary changes took place as a direct result of our campaign.”
Chhokar’s father Darshan Singh Chhokar died in October 2015 – before he could see his son’s killer brought to justice. Chhokar’s mother Gurdev Kaur Chhokar and his sister Manjit Sangha and her children were in court every day of the trial.
Detective Chief Superintendent Clark Cuzen said:“If Darshan Singh Chhokar was alive today, I can only imagine his feelings at seeing justice being served.
“It is important to recognise the tireless campaigning for justice over the years by the Chhokar family and their lawyer, Aamer Anwar. I hope they can take some comfort from today’s verdict.
“This has been a complex and challenging two-year investigation involving extensive police work to trace the original witnesses, establish the chain of new associates known to the accused since then and take fresh statements from them all. Through the passage of time, people can change allegiances and new evidence can come to light through independent statements.
“This tireless activity ultimately revealed fresh evidence that pointed the finger firmly at Ronnie Coulter as the man responsible for the violent and calculated attack on Surjit Singh Chhokar.
“Whilst we were unable to find evidence of racial motivation at the time of the murder, there was evidence to support the fact that Ronnie Coulter described Surjit using racist terms when confessing to the murder. Coulter has been cowardly for showing absolutely no remorse for his crimes and the fact that he has actively and deliberately tried to evade justice for years speaks volumes about the individual.”