London, Nov. 1: A man who was acquitted of the murder of Surjit Singh Chhokar, a 32-year-old Sikh waiter, in Scotland 18 years ago, was today given a life sentence for the same crime.

Scotland's 800-year-old double jeopardy law, which says that a person, once found not guilty, cannot be tried again for the same offence, was reformed in 2011 because it was becoming apparent that a number of criminals were evading justice.

One such was Ronnie Coulter, 48.

The double jeopardy rule no longer applies absolutely in Scotland since the Double Jeopardy (Scotland) Act 2011 came into force on November 28, 2011.

The Act introduced three broad exceptions to the rule: where the acquittal had been tainted by an attempt to pervert the course of justice; where the accused admitted his guilt after acquittal; and where there was new evidence.

The Chhokar case has been the subject of much debate in Scotland since his murder.

Ronnie Coulter was yesterday given a life sentence at the High Court in Glasgow for the fatal stabbing of Chhokar on November 4, 1998.

The attack, over a £100 giro cheque which Coulter had tried to forge in Chhokar's name, happened as the victim returned from his work at an Indian restaurant in Overtown, North Lanarkshire. He collapsed in front of his partner Liz Bryce.

Judge Lord Matthews recommended that Coulter serve at least 19 years and eight months in prison before he was considered for parole.

He said the minimum sentence would have been 20 years but he took off four months for the time Coulter spent in custody before the first trial in 1999.

Three men - Coulter, his cousin Andrew Coulter and David Montgomery - were arrested and their cases were heard in two separate trials, in 1999 and 2000. All were acquitted of murder after blaming each other for the killing.

Two official inquiries were ordered, looking at the treatment of the family and decision-making processes. Following their publication in 2001, the Lord Advocate at the time, Colin Boyd QC, said the Chhokar family had been failed by the police and prosecuting authorities. One report raised the issue of "institutional racism".

Police were instructed by the Crown Office at the start of 2012 to carry out a new investigation into the Chhokar killing. The Crown applied in May 2014 to set aside the acquittals of the three original accused.

Appeal judges ultimately granted permission for Ronnie Coulter's retrial but ruled that Andrew Coulter and Montgomery should not stand trial again.

In the just concluded second trial, Coulter again denied the charges and blamed his cousin Andrew Coulter and Montgomery for the murder. The latter admitted being present at the scene but denied murder.

Lord Matthews said Chhokar was the "victim of an ambush which cost him his life".

Passing sentence, the judge told Ronnie Coulter: "The evidence showed that what happened was not on the spur of the moment. Along with your nephew and David Montgomery, who was recruited to drive you and who on his own admission was prepared to get involved in an assault, you travelled the short distance to Overtown.

"It is plain that your only purpose was violence and you must have had a knife to hand. When the trap was sprung you were not content to let Andrew Coulter use his baton on Chhokar but you inflicted three stab wounds on his body in the most despicable and cowardly fashion.

"Thereafter you attempted to cover your tracks, and in large measure you succeeded in doing so. Now, many years later, you are here to answer for your crime."

The judge praised the patience and "quiet dignity" of the Chhokar family, and particularly the victim's late father, Darshan Singh Chhokar, who passed away in November last year.

The Chhokar family lawyer Aamer Anwar, who began campaigning for justice as a law student, said: "In the 18 years it took to prove Ronnie Coulter's guilt, he has never shown a shred of remorse or sorrow. Surjit Singh Chhokar was not his only victim. His parents, a sister, two young children and his partner Liz had their lives devastated, but today the presence of justice has finally given Surjit's family peace."

"They taught us that there may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to fight for justice," he added. "Victims' rights at the heart of our legal system will be the Chhokar legacy long after Ronnie Coulter's name has turned to dust."

This is only the second time in Scottish legal history that a person has been found guilty since the double jeopardy law was changed.