Police believe Kriss Donald was taken on a three-hour journey

A Reliance security officer told the High Court in Edinburgh she heard the threat while working in the cells.

She claimed one of the accused shouted at prisoners from Polmont Young Offenders Institution: "We will murder you an' all."

Three men deny the racially aggravated murder of Kriss Donald in March 2004.

Sandra Callaghan was working in the cells at Glasgow Sheriff Court when the three accused were brought in having been flown back from Pakistan.

Spitting claim

She talked about hearing shouts of racial abuse being traded with prisoners from Polmont Young Offenders Institution in neighbouring cells.

She claimed one of the accused shouted at them: "We will murder you an' all."

Ms Callaghan also said Zeeshan Shahid tried to spit at the Polmont youths and ended up spitting in her face.

Norman Ritchie QC, acting for Mr Shahid, suggested racial abuse had come from the other prisoners too.

Zeeshan Shahid, 28, his brother Imran Shahid, 29, and Mohammed Faisal Mushtaq, 27, deny the murder.

The charge against them alleges that they were acting with two other men - Daanish Zahid, who is serving life for the murder and Zahid Mohammed, 22 - who served half of a five year sentence for assaulting Kriss and lying to police.

Imran Shahid has lodged a special defence blaming Daanish Zahid and Zahid Mohammed "and others" for the murder.

One of the men named by Mr Shahid was at a funeral elsewhere on the day of the murder, the court also heard.

'Final journey'

Earlier, police told how they had retraced the final journey claimed to have been taken by Kriss Donald.

The 15-year-old, from Pollokshields, was allegedly driven to Strathclyde Park, Motherwell and then to Dundee before returning to Glasgow's east end.

Det Con John Morris, 47, used a car fitted with special recording equipment and found the journey would have taken about three hours in total.

On Wednesday, Mohammed Maqsood, 25, told the jury that on 16 March, 2004 he was in Edinburgh at a funeral with a group of friends, including Imran Hussein.

Sandra Callaghan claimed one of the accused threatened a prisoner

When asked by advocate depute Mark Stewart QC if they had been in Glasgow that day, Mr Hussein, 26, said: "No."

Mr Stewart then asked him: "Were you present when a white boy was held hostage, captive, by your pals, Mohammed Maqsood in particular?"

Again the witness told him: "No."

David Burns QC, counsel for Imran Shahid, pressed him on the matter.

"The car that Mr Maqsood was in, was that not in Glasgow?" he asked.

Mr Hussein replied: "How can it be when it was in Edinburgh?"

But Mr Burns said: "I'm suggesting that you might not be telling the truth."