05/10/2016 Reporting Scotland

Join me now on BBC Two, 11.00pm in Scotland.

Here, on BBC One, it's time for the news where you are.

It's taken 18 years and three trials, but today, Ronnie Coulter

was finally convicted of the murder of Indian waiter

Coulter was tried for a second time following changes

He'd been originally cleared of the stabbing in Overtown

in North Lanarkshire following a trial in 1999.

The case resulted in wide-ranging changes to the police

and prosecution service after mistakes were made

by the Crown Office and there was found

to be institutional racism within the police.

After an 18-year fight, the family of Surjit Singh Chhokar

Surjit was a loving son, father and brother, who was lucky

to have two stubborn parents, who refused to be silenced

as they fought for justice as a right and not a privilege.

Surjit's late father, Darshan, always said that,

that he would have a hope for justice.

Whilst the dead cannot cry out for justice, it is the duty

after Ronnie Coulter was convicted of murder.

He was working at this Indian restaurant

while also claiming unemployment benefit.

He had a flat here in Gowkthrapple, Wishaw.

Ronnie Coulter, seen here, also lived in the same building,

The trial heard that, on the morning of the 4th of November, 1998,

Andrew Coulter, jobless and looking for cash to buy alcohol,

broke into Mr Chhokar's flat and stole a giro cheque for ?100.70.

After getting his Uncle Ronnie to forge Mr Chhokar's signature,

Mr Chhokar's partner, Elizabeth Bryce, found out

what happened and threatened to call the police.

It was a threat which ended in murder.

Most of the time, Mr Chhokar lived here,

in Garrion Street, Overtown, with Elizabeth Bryce.

On the night of the 4th of November, Ronnie and Andrew Coulter,

travelled here to meet Mr Chhokar coming home from work.

There was a confrontation in the street and it ended

with Ronnie Coulter stabbing Mr Chhokar to death.

Ronnie Coulter was tried and acquitted of murder in 1999.

The following year, Andrew Coulter and David Montgomery were also

There was criticism of how the case was handled.

One report found institutional racism within the police.

Today, officers said the lessons learned from the original case

have vastly improved the way things are done.

The thing for us to do is make sure these things never happen again

and we continue to work the way we do just now.

In terms of this type of investigation,

it's only the second double jeopardy, so these are pretty much

models that we carry out, not just investigation,

but also how we deal with the family and the people involved around about

Ronnie Coulter once boasted of getting away

Now, he faces a life term, when he's sentenced later this month.

The Scottish Conservative leader, Ruth Davidson, has warned

the SNP government not to pick fights with Westminster.

She was speaking at her party's UK conference.

Our political correspondent, Nick Eardley, was there.

She's something of a superstar at Tory Conference.

Ruth Davidson used her keynote speech to say government

She's been basking in the Scottish Conservatives'

recent electoral success, and she told delegates what she'd be

Instead of picking endless fights with Westminster about

whatever grievance you concocted, pick a fight with poor literacy

and numeracy, and standards in Scotland's schools.

You are the government of Scotland and you were elected to improve

You've seen Nicola Sturgeon on the television most weeks

telling you that Scotland is up in arms, again.

Asserting that independence is closer now than ever before.

Declaring that separation is somehow inevitable.

Well, today, speaking to people from across the UK,

Ruth Davidson has again been given one of the most prominent slots

And although Brexit has been the key theme,

there's been plenty talk too of support for the union

and opposition to another independence vote.

A message that continued as Theresa May set out

I will always fight to preserve our proud historic union

and will never let divisive nationalists drive us apart.

Nicola Sturgeon thinks Mrs May's vision

She's branded immigration proposals hugely worrying.

The Prime Minister insisted change would come.

But she promised it would work for all.

So, my vision is for Britain to be a great meritocracy.

It's what I've always believed in, the cause of everything

I've ever done in politics has been designed to serve.

Because a country based on merit, not privilege,

That's the message they hope will emerge from this conference.

It's one the Conservatives think people want to hear.

Nick Eardley, Reporting Scotland, in Birmingham.

Holyrood has taken the first steps towards

increasing the top four bands of the council tax.

Speaking to Holyrood's Local Government Committee,

which endorsed the plan, the Finance Secretary Derek Mackay

said he wanted some households to pay more for a ?100 million

attainment fund which would help the poorest children.

on the next generation of Royal Navy submarines,

which will carry controversial Trident nuclear missiles.

The first steel was cut at Barrow-in-Furness,

but they'll be based at Faslane on the Clyde.

We're investing in Faslane, all our submarines are going to be

based in Faslane, not just these Successor submarines,

but the Astute-class submarines, of which three have already

been built, and eventually, the Trafalgar-class submarines

that are moving up from Portsmouth, so Faslane will become the base

for all Britain's submarines in future and that is a vote

Workers at Scotrail have voted to accept a deal to end

The RMT union said the agreement guaranteed that guards

would retain their responsibility for safety.

A union spokesman said the settlement should be

where a similar dispute is continuing.

of missing Clydebank teenager Scott Diver.

The 16-year-old has been missing for almost three weeks

and police and his family are increasingly worried.

This image is of Scott walking through Dalmuir Park in Clydebank

just before three on the afternoon of Saturday the 17th of September.

It's the last confirmed sighting and police hope anyone who remembers

An oil supply ship has been detained for a second time

at Aberdeen Harbour for non-payment of seafarer's wages.

The Malaviya Seven was detained in June

under merchant shipping regulations, but later released.

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency has confirmed it has been detained

again and will remain in harbour until the workers are paid.

The Scottish Government's set out seven priorities

They include resilience, responsiveness and adaptability.

And will the aims cut crime and keep communities safe

at a time of financial efficiencies? Morag Kinniburgh has this report.

That is really buckled. Yeah.

Community support in West Lothian,

where more local policing is welcomed.

I think, in previous years, we have seen a little bit of a shift

away from community policing and it's nice to see

Because I think that's about prevention.

You know, if we've got good quality officers on the ground

who know the people here, know the community and people know

them, they build up trust and they build up a rapport that

just strengthens the relationship. And they can nip things in the bud.

They know who's who, people know who they are,

The Justice Minister met police leaders to unveil seven

new strategic priorities, inclusion, prevention

In practice, that means the force is to tackle developing

threats, like cyber crime, as well as community policing.

What the purpose of these new priorities is to make sure

we get that balance right, reinforcing the localism

of policing, but at the same time, making sure the police are able

to adapt and to respond to those new and emerging threats,

which can be in someone's front room.

But new priorities come with no new funding and there's already

Well, we need to make the most of the money that we've got,

we need to spend it wisely and I'm convinced that we can do more

Ultimately, we will have to make choices and that's the same in any

But we are going to do that with people, rather than to them,

and people understand and agree with the decisions we are making.

On the ground, volunteers here hope that means the authorities

are listening and responding to local needs.

Morag Kinniburgh, Reporting Scotland, West Lothian.

Rangers midfielder Joey Barton has been charged with breaking rules

relating to gambling on football matches.

The 34-year-old is accused by the Scottish Football Association

of placing 44 bets between July and September this year.

The player has a week to respond to the charge.

SFA rules ban players, coaches and club officials

from betting on football anywhere in the world.

Scots scientist, Sir Fraser Stoddart, is among

three recipients of this year's Nobel Prize for chemistry.

It has been awarded for his work developing molecular machines.

The machines are a thousand times thinner than a strand of hair.

Sir Fraser was brought up in Midlothian and educated

at Edinburgh University, where he also endows

He was back here in April and we had a really, really,

very enjoyable ceremony and he always enjoys coming back

and I think one of the things that came across from him

was just how... what a nice individual he is.

He's a very, very kind man and he was inspiring.

He gave a presentation to all of our

postgraduate students and researchers and they were inspired.

Bayern Munich showed their class against a young Hibs side

with a comfortable 6-0 win at Easter Road in the Uefa

Hibs were in the last 32 of the competition

The sides meet again in Germany next Wednesday.

And Scotland Under 21's have lost 2-0 to Iceland in their latest

Well, let's get the weather outlook from Kawser.

Thank you, good evening. Today was another lovely day and a fine

evening. We have had some beautiful pictures, look at this sunset across

the Western Isles, beautiful colours! For the rest of tonight it

will be dry, breezy and we see cloud increasing, coming on and on fairly

strong east and south easterly wind, pushing across more eastern parts,

the wind strong across the Western Isles and Galloway coast.

Temperatures 7-11 degrees. Under clear skies in the North West,

perhaps dipping down to four or five Celsius for sheltered claims.

Tomorrow morning cloudy across southern and eastern parts, the best

sunshine across the North West once again, but if you're heading out at

around eight o'clock it will be fine and dry. Sunny spells breaking

through, perhaps back. Across the North West but lots of sunshine.

Fresh wind across the north-eastern coast and for all be and good

sunshine in Shetland. And the rest of the UK, fine and dry unsettled

conditions for all, more cloud pushing in across eastern coastal

areas with the risk of some showers across East Anglia and south-eastern

England. For the North West of Scotland, once again, the best

sunshine and temperatures could reach 16 or 17 degrees. This fine

and settled weather is courtesy of low pressure, still across

Scandinavia, pushing into Norway, keeping of these Atlantic weather

systems at the and we continue with dry weather for most although more

easterly wind and bringing some cooler air across southern England

and the risk of some showers. For Friday, largely dry, and fine for

most of Scotland, but elsewhere at the risk of showers, mainly to the

east, and temperatures near average, 13-15d. That is your forecast.

Thank you. That is Reporting Scotland,