A RELUCTANT witness at a high-profile murder trial has been locked up for 15 months.

Petty criminal Umar Bhatti refused to come clean about what he knew of the involvement of his cousin and a friend in what was alleged to be a racially motivated attack on Irish-born William McKeeney.

Asif Rehman, 20, and Adel Ishaq, 19, were to face sentencing today for kicking to death the 57-year-old labourer as he returned to his home in Pollokshields, Glasgow, after a night out.

They were found guilty after a trial at the High Court in Kilmarnock, although the allegation that the attack was racially motivated was deleted from the charge.

During the trial, Bhatti, 19, was warned by judge Lord Uist, then found to be in contempt of court.

Bhatti, of Melville Street, Glasgow, further angered the judge by claiming that his statements to police in the aftermath of Mr McKeeney's death were true – then later telling a social worker that they were fabricated.

Imposing a sentence of detention, Lord Uist told Bhatti – cousin of Ishaq – he must pay the penalty.

The judge said: "You deliberately prevaricated by withholding from the court evidence you were well able to give and intentionally seeking to mislead the court."