A father-of-one accused of hiding a stash of drugs in a bedroom closet told a court yesterday how Police officers beat and kicked him as he lay curled up on the floor.

Deon Eugene Bassett, 27, showed a jury at Supreme Court One a scar on his forehead which he said resulted from the alleged attack on November 9, 2004. Bassett, of Cambridge Road, Somerset, is standing trial for possession of cocaine worth $81,895 and cannabis worth $1,975 with intent to supply, possession of a set of scales used to weigh controlled drugs and attempting to pervert the course of justice. He denies all the charges.

He claimed he was attacked by narcotics officers after they took him to an apartment in Cherry Dale Drive, Smith?s, where he had previously lived temporarily. He told the court an officer found two bags ? one pink and one clear ? in a bedroom closet and showed them to him. He saw that the pink bag contained a white substance.

?When I saw what was in the pink bag I broke down and cried,? he said. ?From then I was hurt because I knew the consequences of something like this happening.?

He added that he was taken outside while officers searched the yard. ?One officer was on my left and another was on my right and the rest of the officers were in the yard.

?As I was outside, still hurt and crying, I asked them again ?what else are you looking for?? The officer on my left had told me to shut up. I asked him ?what have I have done??. Out of nowhere, the officer on my left hit me on the side of my face.

?I?m not sure what he hit me with, but it was a hard object.?

He said he stumbled to his right and was then elbowed in the chest by the officer on that side of him. Bassett, who has a one-year-old son, said: ?All of a sudden all of the officers that were searching the yard attacked me. From then all I could remember was them hitting me all about the body.

?The only thing I was able to do at this time was to curl up against the wall outside the door, scraping my back, while the officers were hitting me all over the place. I was handcuffed from behind. At this time, I had my hands down and officers were hitting me, with what I don?t know, and kicking and shouting.?

The jury had earlier heard testimony from narcotics officers who said Bassett had run off after grabbing a Police evidence bag containing the drugs and a set of scales. They said he was caught and restrained following a violent struggle.

Under cross-examination by prosecutor Graveney Bannister, Bassett said that was a lie. ?They made that up to cover themselves for beating me up,? he said. ?That?s why all of them have the same words. It?s all lies.?

Mr. Bannister suggested to Bassett that when the officers took him to Cherry Dale Drive he was surprised that they had found out where he was living. ?I was surprised because I hadn?t been staying there for at least four months,? he replied.

He said the flat belonged to his uncle and aunt, Rosawick and Estlyn Harvey, and that he had stayed there temporarily earlier in 2004.

Former Police custody sergeant Alan Oliver, of Flatts, who was on duty at Hamilton Police Station on November 9, said he noticed the defendant had facial injuries when he was brought in.

He said an officer told him, in the presence of Bassett, that the injuries were sustained after he tried to evade Police.

?I asked Mr. Bassett if that was correct and he said yes,? said Mr. Oliver. ?I also asked Mr. Bassett if he wished to have any medical treatment and he declined.?

He said he insisted Bassett was taken to hospital. He said the defendant did not make any allegations about the conduct of the officers.

Bassett told the court he did not complain about the attack because he felt like all the Police officers were against him.

He said he was given six or seven stitches in hospital for a gash to his head and had painful wrists and trouble breathing after the alleged assault.

The case continues today.