The 38-year-old cruise ship bartender accused of sexual assault took the stand yesterday and described how he was beaten by a cruise ship security guard and harassed by the Police.

The cruise ship worker has pleaded not guilty in Magistrates' Court to charges that he broke into three passengers' cabins and sexually assaulted them during the early hours of the morning on August 3.

The defendant often broke down in tears as he recalled the events -- through the aid of interpreter Lucy Brums -- that occurred last August.

The accused said after he left his friends' cabin around 3 a.m. on August 3, he went back to his own cabin, which he shared with other workers, to return his camera.

He said he then went off to look for a friend who he was suppose to go with him to a disco. After having no luck finding his friend he sat down outside the ship and smoked two or three cigarettes.

On his way back to his cabin, he said: "When I was out where the hallway was, I looked straight. The boy (the brother of the 12-year-old victim) who gave testimony here came out.

"When I was close to him I thought he was a bit disoriented and needed help.

I said to him what do you need? You need help? When I see that he can't understand me cause I don't speak English, I took him to the area where the security is.'' The defendant added that the guard told him not to move and began to talk on his radio.

He said an older man, a second security guard, a lady, a girl and some more people joined them in the security area.

The second security guard tried to grab him by his shoulders and pushed him toward the wall, he said.

"I tried to push the guard away and he came and attacked me,'' the cruise ship worker said. "When they attacked me I didn't defend myself cause I was more interested in trying to find someone who spoke Spanish. But I keep receiving punches and I can't see anyone who speaks Spanish.'' The court heard that the defendant suffered a fractured nose and bruises and was therefore taken to the ship's clinic.

Breaking down in tears, he then described how the ship's doctor told him in Spanish that he was being detained by the Police and that he was accused of sexual assault.

"In the accusations there was a minor and he said that I was in really big trouble with that,'' the defendant said, sobbing.

He then explained how the Police questioned him at Somerset Police Station.

"A man from Honduras who said he was an interpreter but seemed like an investigator because the first thing he said was that I was f***ed,'' the foreign cruise ship worker claimed.

"Then a white man who gave a statement here came and said something and put his hand on my head and pushed it back.'' The cruise ship employee said Police kept asking him about cocaine and marijuana and the interpreter told him Police said he was "going to die here''.

"The Policeman came and took my right leg and took his hand up close to arriving at my genitals. That's when I told him I want a lawyer,'' the defendant said, adding that the interpreter asked him if he had money to pay for a lawyer.

When questioned by his lawyer Mr. Ron Attride-Stirling, the defendant said he remembered Police collected two or three pages of statements from him. But he claimed they threw away one of the pages and he only signed one.

During cross examination, the Crown concentrated on the cruise ship worker's whereabouts on the day in question.

The defendant was asked if the disco -- which he wanted to visit -- closed at 2.30 a.m. why was he looking for his friend half an hour after that time.

He responded: "I go out to see if we are going or not.'' The accused admitted that no-one could have confirmed his whereabouts between 3.30 and 5.30 a.m.

And he was asked why he did not leave the girl's brother by the security door when they reached it, if he was just showing him the way.

"I didn't have any reason to leave him,'' the cruise ship worker replied. "I just took him personally there.'' He also denied that the girl's brother had seen him sitting on her bed.

The case, before Acting Magistrate the Wor. Kenneth Brown, was adjourned until next week.