A murder accused laughed and joked as he spoke of throwing a waiter off a bridge in 1998, a court has heard.

Witness Donna Campbell, 33, also claimed Ronnie Coulter and his nephew also talked of hitting Surjit Singh Chhokar on the knees with a bat and battering him.

She was giving evidence at the trial of Coulter, 48, from Wishaw, who denies murdering Mr Chhokar by stabbing him in Garrion Street, Overtown, North Lanarkshire, on November 4, 1998.

Ms Campbell told prosecutor Alex Prentice QC the conversation took place in Coulter's flat in Caplaw Towers, Overtown, on the evening of November 4, 1998, shortly before Mr Chhokar was stabbed to death.

At the time she was 15 and had been Andrew Coulter's girlfriend for a couple of weeks.

The court was told she and her friend Corrine Chambers were in the flat with Ronnie and Andrew Coulter and the men were talking about meeting Mr Chhokar later that night concerning a £100 Giro cheque.

Initially when she was asked about the conversation Ms Campbell said: "I can't remember. I just remember laughing and joking about Chhokar.

Mr Prentice asked what was said and she replied: "It was about Chhokar getting hit on the knees with a bat."

She was asked what else was said and said she could not remember.

Mr Prentice took her through a statement she gave to police on August 3, 2012, in which she stated: "Ronnie and Andrew were laughing and joking about going to see Chhokar.

"I remember one of them either Ronnie or Andrew saying they were going to batter him."

He asked if that was the truth and Ms Campbell replied: "Yes."

She was then asked if she could remember anything else of the conversation and said: "There was something about throwing Chhokar off a bridge."

Under cross-examination, defence QC Donald Findlay said to Ms Campbell: "You have described a conversation between Ronnie and Andrew which was not a particularly nice conversation."  She replied: "No."

Mr Findlay added: "You said it was joking or lighthearted." Ms Campbell agreed.

The QC asked: "You did not at the time think you were listening to a conversation talking about going off to do serious violence to another person?" She replied: "Not really."

Mr Finlay added: "What you had were two men talking big to impress two young girls?" Ms Campbell said: "Probably."

The jury has already heard Ronnie Coulter, Andrew Coulter and David Montgomery went to meet Mr Chhokar at 11.30pm in Garrion Street.

They encountered him as he arrived home by car after finishing a shift at the restaurant where he worked. Minutes later he lay dying in the street.

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

Both men have given evidence in the trial and they deny having anything to do with the killing of Mr Chhokar.

Ronnie Coulter denies all the charges against him. The trial before judge Lord Matthews continues.