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A THUG cleared of killing Indian waiter Surjit Singh Chhokar can today be unmasked as a race-hate campaigner.

Andrew Coulter was acquitted of murdering the 32-year-old alongside co-accused David Montgomery at a trial in 2000.

On Wednesday, his uncle Ronnie Coulter was finally convicted of the murder after an 18-year fight for justice by Surjit’s family.

But the jury who cleared Andrew Coulter didn’t know he stabbed another man to death while on bail. He gave evidence against Ronnie Coulter this year.

(Image: Iain McLellan/Spindrift)

Andrew Coulter, 35, joined far-right demonstrators at a racist rally in Edinburgh in July.

The killer proudly held a Scottish Defence League (SDL) flag for a photo while skinhead thugs shouted slogans against minorities.

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Anti-fascist counter-protesters also snapped Coulter smiling among placards that read: “Refugees not welcome.”

It is understood Coulter has attended a number of SDL race-hate demos.

Chhokar family lawyer Aamer Anwar said: “There is nothing civilised about the likes of Andrew Coulter and the racist SDL.

“All the SDL wish to do is inflict a message of hatred and violence and they just happen to have a convicted ‘racist’ killer among their ranks.”

Andrew Coulter and Montgomery stood trial in 2000 accused of the knife murder of Surjit, 32, in Overtown, Lanarkshire, in 1998.

But they were allowed out on bail before their case. That left him free to stab Pat Kelly, 26, to death in a close in Wishaw in 1999.

He was jailed for six years for culpable homicide.

In 2012, Pat’s brother James told the Record that Coulter and his gang made racist remarks to their victim, who had a dark complexion.

Surjit, whose family ran a shop in Law, Lanarkshire, was set upon by three men as he headed to his girlfriend’s home with a takeaway meal. Ronnie Coulter attacked him with his nephew and Montgomery.

The three had targeted Surjit because they had stolen his £100.70 Giro. Ronnie Coulter was cleared at an earlier trial after blaming the killing on the other two. They were cleared after blaming Ronnie Coulter.

A change to Scotland’s double jeopardy law allowed the Crown Office to start a new probe in January 2013 that led to Ronnie Coulter’s conviction.

The Chhokar family maintain the murder was racist. Ronnie Coulter “likes” the British National Party on Facebook.