A Filipino construction worker told a court yesterday that he was asked to falsely allege at a criminal trial that former Olympic sailor Peter Bromby hit his neighbour with a pipe.

Fernando Landingin, speaking through an interpreter, told the Supreme Court that Henry Talbot visited him at his home in 2005, two weeks before a case involving Mr. Bromby and his brother John as defendants was due to be held at Magistrates' Court.

Mr. Landingin, of Paget, said Mr. Talbot told him: "Say that I was struck in the stomach with the PVCpipe."

The Bromby brothers, both of East Shore Road, Sandys, are suing Mr. Talbot for malicious prosecution. The pair were found guilty of assault and using threatening words against Mr. Talbot on May 16, 2004. They received an absolute discharge and later successfully appealed their convictions in the Supreme Court.

Their lawyer Richard Horseman said yesterday their case was that evidence at the trial was false and a witness was initially asked to lie. He said the convictions and surrounding publicity caused his clients "some damage".

The court heard that on May 16, 2004, Mr. Talbot instructed his workers to build a wall across the beach outside his and the Bromby brothers' homes, which the latter claimed was across their right of way.

Both Peter and John, a former customs officer, took the witness stand yesterday, telling Chief Justice Richard Ground that they armed themselves with a pipe and a hoe handle, respectively, before approaching the scene, knowing their sister was calling the Police.

The brothers were involved at the time in a long-running boundary dispute with Mr. Talbot about the land at Gilbert's Bay, on the eastern side of Somerset.

Mr. Landingin said he was working for Mr. Talbot that day and saw the pair approach the Bermudian bulldozer driver, who was moving rocks to form the 5ft wall.

He said they questioned why he was putting rocks across their pathway and asked him to stop, which he did. Mr. Horseman asked if he saw any physical contact or saw Peter Bromby hit Mr. Talbot with the pipe he was carrying. "No," he answered to both questions.

Earlier, Mr. Talbot's lawyer Rick Woolridge suggested to Peter Bromby that he took the pipe because he was prepared to use violence against Mr. Talbot, whom he described as "the little old man sitting at the back of this court".

Mr. Bromby said that was not the reason but he was prepared to defend himself. Mr. Woolridge said: "I put it to you that with the piece of pipe you had in your hand, you jabbed Mr. Henry Talbot."

Mr. Bromby replied:"That's a total fabrication. Nothing like that ever happened. We never acted in a hostile fashion at all, other than to have the piece of pipe at my side."

John Bromby told the court he took the hoe handle to protect himself because he feared Mr. Talbot's boxer-like dogs might be on the beach. "I definitely didn't go down there to assault anybody," he said.

He told the court he had a calm temperament but admitted under cross-examination from Mr. Woolridge that he referred to Mr. Talbot a couple of times as "a piece of sh*t".

John Bromby, who owns Bo's Lawn Equipment in Warwick, suggested the rocks being used to build the wall were from a natural formation on the beach which had been there for millions of years.

he case continues today.