There was standing room only in Magistrates' Court yesterday as Michael Madeiros gave evidence against six former narcotics officers on trial for alleged assault and causing him bodily harm in October, 2003.

The six Police constables ? Jamiko Tucker, 27, Allan Miguel, 40, Kirley Mitchel, 31, Andrew Woolridge, 32, Antoine Fox, 37, and David Bhagwan, 30 ? sat quietly in court taking notes, supported by up to 14 fellow officers.

Madeiros, a former Dunkley's Dairy employee, was found guilty of conspiracy to import $2 million worth of cannabis in a Dunkley's Dairy container shipped from the US in October 2003.

The morning proceedings were delayed after Madeiros arrived over an hour late from Westgate.

On the stand, however, he told the court in graphic detail of his arrest at Ice Queen in Paget on October 24, 2003 where his repeated requests to see a lawyer were allegedly ignored and he was struck by P.c. Ahab Azab.

P.c. Azab has since resigned from Police and returned to his native Egypt.

"As I was getting in the car Azab hit me on the back of my head and kneed me in my side and said get in the f****ng car," he claimed, before adding he was repeatedly struck by P.c. Azab in the car while being questioned.

Madeiros said they then went to his home on Belmer Drive in Devonshire and entered the building through the garage.

P.c. Azab then allegedly knocked his own hat and shades off and asked P.c. Mitchel "did you see the suspect come at me?"

P.c. Mitchel allegedly replied that he had and P.c. Azab then hit him with an open hand to the back of his head and punched him in the ribs on his left side.

He said shortly after that P.c. Bhagwan arrived at the apartment shouting "where the f**k are those boxes, boy?"

Madeiros claimed P.c. Bhagwan grabbed the metal bar between the handcuffs and "twisted" them so that he buckled at the knees.

P.c. Bhagwan then allegedly hit him a few times open handed across his head and punched him in the stomach.

"Azab and Mitchel were standing there while Miguel stood by the door to my apartment," he said.

He said he fell to the ground and curled into a foetal position to protect himself from the kicks he was receiving.

He said they eventually came out of the garage and went into his apartment where a search of his house was conducted.

Madeiros then claimed that when they came back to the living room he was subjected to further severe beatings from P.c. Azab and P.c. Miguel.

After that he said he was driven to the narcotics offices in Prospect and taken to a rear office where officer Stephen Lightbourne joined them.

"I asked him if I could have a lawyer, but he completely ignored me," Madeiros said.

He said once again he was asked where the boxes were and he was told he was in big trouble and tried to offer him a deal.

Officer Lightbourne then allegedly left the office and P.c. Miguel, P.c. Mitchel, P.c. Ahab and P.c. Woolridge stayed behind to question him and he was struck once more.

Madeiros said he kept asking them to stop, but was ignored.

This continued for some time, he claimed and was only interrupted by Superintendent Larry Smith entering the office to tell him that the beatings would stop if he answered their questions.

He said P.c. Azab grabbed him around the neck and dragged him through the main office into the doorway of another office.

He said P.c. Fox then pushed him up against the wall and said "you're going to tell us where these f****ng boxes are. Your friends are next door pricking on you" while choking him and punching him in the stomach.

"When Tucker walked in and grabbed my left arm out horizontally, put a pair of pliers to my fingers and told me if I didn't tell them where the boxes were, he was going to crush my fingers while Fox broke my nose."

"I was scared sh*tless," he said.

Once the beatings finally stopped he was "pretty banged up", he said.

But just when he thought it was all over, Madeiros claimed P.c. Bhagwam struck him hard around the left side of the face with a telephone directory and he fell.

He said he was still sitting on the floor in the doorway when P.c. Woolridge poured water over his head.

Officers then allegedly said they would do the same to his family if he did not co-operate and it was at this stage, Madeiros claimed, that he decided to make a 'confession'.

Madeiros alleged that P.c. Azab and P.c. Miguel then told him to tell everyone that he had fallen.

"They said no one would believe me anyway," he said.

He was then taken to Hamilton Police Station where he met with Mark Diel, his lawyer and pointed out his injuries.

Madeiros said he was taken to King Edward VII Memorial Hospital where examined by a doctor, all the time with P.c. Azab, P.c. Mitchel and P.c. Miguel standing within ear-shot.

In a state of fear and panic, he claimed he told the doctor he had fallen down.

He said it was only on October 26 ? the day he was released from custody ? that his new lawyer, Mark Pettingill and wife Lisa took photographs of his extensive injuries.

But when questioned by defence lawyer Alan Doughty about a statement made on November 26, 2003, Madeiros admitted that at the time he could not remember who had arrested him.

He told the court he gave the statement while suffering from Post Trauma Depression as diagnosed by a psychologist.

Madeiros then vehemently denied the accusation from Mr. Doughty that he had fallen down a steep slope outside his house while trying to escape.

But he was forced to concede to Mr. Doughty that there were a number of contradictions between his evidence presented in court and the statements he gave in November 2003.

"The evidence I gave today is the correct evidence as my memory improves," he said.