A witness has told a jury she saw a man accused of murder run towards a restaurant manager and stab him in a car park.

Sonya Higgins, from Ayr, was giving evidence at the trial of brothers Jagtar Singh, 51 and Jaspal Singh, 54, and their friend Balwant Singh, 58.

The three accused deny murdering 38-year-old Ansar Shah by repeatedly stabbing him at the car park of the Armaan Restaurant in Seafield Road, Ayr, on October 4, 1993.

Ms Higgins told the High Court in Glasgow that in 1993 she was married to restaurant worker Havez Sharif, who had been detained by the immigration authorities after a phone call.

She said staff at the restaurant thought the call had been made by Jaspal and Balwant Singh.

As a result a meeting was arranged at the restaurant at midnight on October 3, 1993.

The witness said all three accused men arrived in a car and staff from the restaurant came out to speak to them.

Ms Higgins told prosecutor Richard Goddard that she was in the car park when the arranged meeting took place.

She said initially there were raised voices and then a fight broke out.

The court was told one man was waving a cricket or baseball bat and Jagtar Singh carried a knife.

The prosecutor asked: "What did he do with the knife?" and Ms Higgins responded: "He ran towards Shah and stabbed him."

Ms Higgins was asked if Mr Shah was stabbed once or more than once and said: "I think more than once, but I'm not 100%.

"He stabbed him on the left side of his chest.

"It looked like a kitchen knife. He just fell to the ground."

Mr Goddard asked: "What was Mr Shah doing when he was repeatedly stabbed?" and Ms Higgins told him: "Nothing, he was just standing there. He wasn't involved in the fighting."

All three men deny murder.

Jagtar Singh also denies attempting to defeat the ends of justice by changing his clothing and fleeing to England.

The trial, before judge Lord Beckett, continues.