Six narcotics officers have now been charged with beating up former Dunkley?s Dairy employee Michael Madeiros while he was in Police custody in October, 2003.

Det. Con Alan Miguel, Det. Con. David Bhagwam, Det. Con. Andrew Woolridge, Det. Con. Antoine Fox and Det. Con. Jameiko Tucker all pleaded not guilty yesterday in Magistrates? Court to assaulting Madeiros and causing him bodily harm.

Another accused, Det. Con. Kirly Mitchell, entered a similar plea last Wednesday.

Police spokesman Dwayne Caines said last night that all six have been transferred out of the narcotics department and assigned to non-operational duties in other parts of the Service.

Pressed on why they have not been prevented from working altogether, particularly in light of the recent suspension of Det. Chief Insp. Stuart Crockwell pending an investigation, Mr. Caines refused to comment.

In a display of solidarity, the court room overflowed with Police officers as the charges were read out by Senior Magistrate Archibald Warner.

Meanwhile, Madeiros? friends and family sported T-shirts with pictures of the alleged victim?s heavily bruised face and body splashed across them under the titles ?Criminals With A Badge? and ?Police Brutality Is A Reality?.

At the end of the proceedings, the officers exited the building only to be confronted by a narrow gauntlet of T-shirted family members through which they had to pass.

None of the officers were required to post bail.

They are scheduled to reappear for mention on June 3, while a trial date has been set for June 14 in Magistrates? Court.

Madeiros and another man, Steven Flood, were found guilty in February of conspiracy to import close to $2 million worth of cannabis in a Dunkley?s Dairy container shipped from the United States.

During pre-trial legal arguments in that case, both men alleged that they had been beaten up in Police custody and were forced to sign confession statements under threat of further violence ? accusations the officers denied.

Pictures taken of Madeiros by his wife, Lisa, the day he was released from custody were shown at the pre-trial proceedings in late January, and revealed extensive bruising to Madeiros? face, side, back and buttocks.

All statements extracted by Police when the two men were in custody were ultimately excluded from the trial by Puisne Judge Carlisle Greaves, who ruled he could not be sure the statements had been given voluntarily.