Firsat Dag died from a single stab wound

The judge, Lord Kingarth, told the jury that they must not allow themselves to be swayed by any preconceived notion or prejudices of any kind.

Mr Dag died in hospital after suffering a single stab wound to the chest.

Burrell has also been formally acquitted of two other charges relating to an attack on a man in March which was also alleged to have been racially motivated.

At the same court on Thursday a man walked free from court after being acquitted of attacking an asylum seeker.

Graham Mills, 29, of Glasgow, was accused of assaulting Iranian Barzan Amini in the city on 13 March this year, a charge he denied.

However, at the end of the prosecution's case, Mr Mills was discharged from the dock by trial judge Lord Kingarth after the charge was withdrawn.

With regard to the murder charge, Burrell had lodged a special defence of incrimination blaming Martin Gould, of Balornock, Glasgow.

Identity parade

In his closing speech to the jury, Stephen Woolman, QC, prosecuting, insisted there was "ample" evidence which proved Scott Burrell was the murderer.

He reminded them that 16-year-old Erkan Ayyildiz, Mr Dag's companion on the night he died, had told the court he was "60% certain" that the man whom he saw apparently punch his friend on the chest was Burrell.

A few days later, Mr Woolman went on, Mr Ayyildiz had singled out Burrell at a police identity parade as being the man who attacked his friend.

Mr Woolman said: "Mr Ayyildiz' evidence that it was the shorter of the two men that were in the park that evening who struck his friend was quite a clear identification for someone who was involved in such an incident."

He added that Burrell's companion, Martin Gould, also gave damning evidence against his friend after volunteering the information during interviews with police.

He said: "Putting the evidence together, there is ample support for the conclusion that it was Scott Burrell who committed the murder of Firsat Dag that night."

But defence counsel Donald Findlay QC tore into Mr Gould's evidence, accusing Mr Gould of being a "devious, duplicitous, self-serving, smug, conceited, glib liar".

'Wormed and weaselled'

Mr Findlay said Mr Gould, whom Burrell has blamed for the murder of Mr Dag in his defence, convinced Mr Burrell that he had stabbed Mr Dag when in fact Mr Gould himself held the knife.

Mr Findlay said: "Mr Gould wormed and weaselled and twisted and turned and at every opportunity said as little as was possible to keep himself out of trouble.

"The fact is that Gould's initial position is an out-and-out lie. He cast a bait into the water and he wanted you to take it hook, line and sinker.

"The only thing that was really lacking in his performance, because that's what it was in the witness box, was a foaming tear on his cheek and the words 'who, me?' tattooed on his forehead.

"It was a despicable sham."

Mr Findlay told the jury of eight men and seven women that it was Mr Gould who delivered the fatal blow on Firsat Dag.

The trial was adjourned until Friday, when Lord Kingarth will address the jury.