Chhokar family hopes for justice

Three men were acquitted of murdering Mr Chhokar

The father of a murdered waiter has pledged to fight "until my last dying breath" for justice for his son.

Darshan Chhokar said the handling of Surjit Singh Chhokar's case, which saw three men acquitted in two separate trials, had "destroyed everything I ever believed in."

His comments, in an interview with the Scottish Daily Mail, come on the eve of the publication of two reports into the circumstances of the case.

The inquiries by Dr Raj Jandoo and Sir Anthony Campbell, Justice of the Supreme Court of Northern Ireland, are due to be put before the Scottish Parliament next week.

Darshan Chhokar is haunted by his son's death

Strathclyde Police and the Crown Office are expected to come in for criticism in both reports.

But the inquiries have been attacked by Mr Chhokar's family, who have demanded an independent public inquiry into the case.

Mr Chhokar, of Law, Lanarkshire, said: "I still see Surjit in my dreams at night. I can feel his presence around me.

"He asks why this happened to him and what I am doing to help. He was my only son - how can I let him down?"

Surjit Chhokar was 32 when he was murdered in Overtown, Lanarkshire, in November 1998 outside his girlfriend's home.

Ronnie Coulter, 32, from Wishaw, walked free from the first murder trial after he blamed his cousin, 23-year-old Andrew Coulter, and David Montgomery, 19, from Motherwell, for the killing.

Andrew Coulter and Mr Montgomery then stood trial last year, but claimed Ronnie Coulter was responsible, and were also acquitted murder.

Mr Chhokar said: "Until my last dying breath I will keep fighting for my son because, when I die, I have to answer to him about what I did to seek justice for him.

"He was not a troublemaker and did not deserve any of this. Since his death, a light has gone out of our lives. My house remains a place where there is no happiness."

Mr Chhokar, who is currently undergoing treatment for bowel cancer, and his wife, Gurdev, walked out of Dr Jandoo's inquiry into the Crown Office's treatment of the family earlier this year after claiming its terms of reference were too limited.