A St. George's sportsman yesterday expressed sympathy for the victim of a brutal mob beating, and insisted he played no part in the attack.

Detroy Smith, 24, who plays football and cricket for town teams, was arrested after Temasgan Furbert was seriously injured by a large group of weapon-wielding men.

He is now on trial at Supreme Court along with five other men, some of whom are his teammates.

Giving evidence in his own defence yesterday, Smith, told the 12-woman jury that after his arrest: "I told the Police officer it ain't right for 30 guys to beat one guy. No matter what he done, it ain't right."

Mr. Furbert, 23, gave evidence for the prosecution earlier this month, telling how he was left seriously injured after being assaulted with weapons including an electric drill, walking cane, machetes and baseball bats in North Church Lane, Hamilton Parish, near his home.

He named Smith as having wielded a cane during the attack which unfolded on the night of February 27, 2009.

Smith insisted yesterday that he went to visit friends who live in St. George's that night to make some music before attending a party at Club Ovation in the town.

According to prosecutors, the attack was revenge from a large group of St. George's men over a fight the night before at the Hamilton Parish Workmen's Club between a Hamilton Parish man named Brandon Trott and a St. George's man named Jade Foggo.

Smith and his co-accused all claim it is a case of mistaken identity and say they were never at the scene. In his evidence yesterday, Smith said he went to the barber shop that Mr. Foggo runs in the Wellington area of St. George's last February 27 and noticed his face was puffy and he had a cut lip.

He said Mr. Foggo told him he "got jumped" the night before by "Brandon and Temasgan".

Smith further told how he and co-defendants in the case, Bennett Phipps, Kyle Williams Tannock and Allan Douglas have played football together for St. George's Colts, along with Mr. Foggo, and they are all friends. He and Douglas also used to play cricket for the St. George's Cricket Club together. He described Mr. Furbert as "an associate" from whom he once bought a bike.

He denied allegations he was one of the group of men who allegedly went to Mr. Furbert's house to seek revenge over Mr. Foggo's injuries. He explained he has a girlfriend, a 20-month-old son, and employment with his father's maintenance company.

Smith told the jury that when his father told him the Police wanted to speak to him about the assault on Mr. Furbert, he went voluntarily to Southside Police Station.

He admitted having a cane at the home he shares in Ferry Reach, St. George's, with his girlfriend, but said it had been there a long time and it was his girlfriend's from when she had knee surgery.

He told the women of the jury: "I would like to say that I could not tell you the last time I was in a fight. It must have been way back in high school days. I've stayed out of trouble. I've got a son. I'm (all about) work and home. I wasn't there."

When prosecutor Robert Welling suggested: "You were, along with your friends, very angry about what happened to Jade Foggo", Smith replied: "Like I said in my (Police) statement. I'm a family man. I couldn't care less what happens to Jade and his personal problems. It has nothing to do with me."

He called his lifelong friend David Signor as a witness in his defence. Mr. Signor told the jury Smith was at his home in Pain Lane West at the time in question. He denied an allegation from prosecutor Robert Welling that he declined to give the Police a witness statement in the case.

Mr. Signor agreed with Mr. Welling that he has previous convictions for giving false information to the Police and assaulting a Police officer but denied misleading the jury in the current case.

Next on the witness stand was Williams Tannock who pointed out that lawyers in the case have incorrectly referred to him as Tannock Williams throughout the case so far. He also told the jury he was not at the scene of the crime, because he spent the evening at St. George's Cricket Club and Club Ovation.

All six accused deny wounding Mr. Furbert with intent to cause him grievous bodily harm. All of them with the exception of Smith are also accused of smashing the windows of his home before the assault. They deny that too.

Douglas further denies possessing a machete and Williams Tannock denies being armed with a baseball bat.