Three men accused of attempted murder at Wellington Oval hunted their victim like a ?pack of attacking dogs?, a court heard.

The fact Tarik Foster survived being ambushed by a gang armed with machetes and knives was a ?miracle?, a jury was told.

Senior Crown counsel Carrington Mahoney, in his closing speech to the jury yesterday, said the evidence against defendants Ki-Roy Kinta Butterfield, Jahcai Morris and Tahir Nesta Bascome spoke for itself.

He said it was clear when the accused men left their homes in the Ord Road area to go to the Friendship Trophy football finals they were armed ? and intent on using their weapons.

?They had murder in their hearts that day,? he added.

The severity of fighting at the venue ? involving up to 40 young thugs ? left three off-duty Police officers at the match too scared to get involved, the court heard.

Mr. Mahoney said when a fight broke out between Butterfield?s brother and Mr. Foster, the defendants had the chance to launch their attack.

The prosecutor said the three accused showed no concern for women and children who witnessed the orgy of violence at St. George?s.

Mr. Mahoney said it was unclear why the men decided to pursue Mr. Foster like a ?pack of attacking dogs?.

But he said the main issue in the high-profile, four-week retrial was who the jury believed. And he called on them to completely reject the defendants? version of events.

Butterfield, 27, of Cherry Hill Park, Paget; Morris, 24, of Sylvan Dell, Paget, and Tahir Nesta Bascome, 23, of Dunscombe Road, Warwick, all deny attempting to murder Mr. Foster on April 4, 2004.

The trio also pleaded not guilty to a charge of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, also against Mr. Foster.

Mr. Mahoney questioned Butterfield?s claim he only got involved in the melee after his brother was knocked unconscious by a man wielding a wooden board.

He said three witnesses ? including a detective ? gave evidence the defendant had a knife ?long before? his brother was struck.

This was supported by a video film of the violence and pictures taken after trouble flared, Mr. Mahoney stated.

Referring to Mr. Foster?s evidence, he said he was unlikely to forget the faces of Butterfield and Bascome. Mr. Foster had earlier said Butterfield stabbed him in the neck area and Bascome slashed at him with a machete.

Meanwhile, Mr. Mahoney rejected Morris? claim he acted alone, and pointed out how the accused first told the court he had used a knife to slice, then just slap Mr. Foster.

Morris had shown ?utter contempt?, the jury was told, about the day of violence when he was arrested near Dockyard and told Police it had been ?just a little fight?.

He said it was the defendants? intention to ensure Mr. Foster ?did not leave Wellington Oval alive?.

The victim survived after ?running for his life?, he said, moving around and lying in a foetal position on the field.

The prosecution claimed Bascome?s defence of mistaken identity had been exposed by close-up photographs taken at Wellington Oval and evidence from two witnesses who put him at the stadium.

Mr. Mahoney said it was barely believable for a man who admitted spending a lot of time on Ord Road to claim it took him a couple of days to hear about what happened at Wellington Oval, especially as his friend, Morris, had been arrested at 7 p.m. on the night of the riot.

However, Elizabeth Christopher, for Butterfield, told the jury her client was defending his injured brother. She added he had attempted to disarm, not stab, the man with the wooden board, Everest Trott, and did not try and murder Mr. Foster as fighting spilled over behind a goalpost.

Starting her closing speech, she said after four weeks of evidence, her client?s involvement in the proceedings amounted to just 90 seconds.

Miss Christopher questioned the reliability of prosecution witnesses Kuma Smith and Mr. Trott, both friends of Mr. Foster, who the court has heard has the nickname ?Psycho?.

Mr. Mahoney earlier questioned Butterfield?s account that he had simply found a knife in the scoreboard area after fighting broke out. But Miss Christopher stressed this had been the case.

She also urged the jury to treat video film and photographic evidence with caution. It was impossible to tell if eye witnesses had been influenced by them, she added, and whether the images had become their ?memory?.

She also said her client?s distinctive dreadlocks made him easy to pick out of crowds.

And the lawyer told the jury the reason her client was facing an attempted murder charge was because Mr. Foster saw a newspaper picture of himself on the ground at Wellington Oval, with Butterfield in the background, and then gave a statement to the Police.

Butterfield has pleaded not guilty to a charge of attempted wounding with intent to cause GBH against Mr. Trott, possessing an offensive weapon and being armed in public to cause terror.

Morris and Bascome have both denied possessing an offensive weapon and being armed in public to cause terror.

Miss Christopher is due to continue her closing speech to the jury on Monday.