sister claimed he only struck his ex-girlfriend on two occasions.

Gregory David Zuill, 26, Kenneth Larry Wade, 31, and Kujii Jomar Wade, 19, of Anchorage Road St. George's have denied causing grievous bodily harm to Michael King on October 4 1993.

King, of Smith's Hill Road, St.

David's, sustained a gash to the head which required 18 stitches to close, a fractured rib, and a badly bruised arm after Kenneth Wade and Kujii Wade beat him about the body with a steel reinforcing rod and a piece of wood.

The incident occurred after King and 34-year-old Rochelle Cooper, who is the sister of Zuill and Kenneth Wade and the aunt of Kujii Wade, had an altercation which resulted in King slapping her twice.

As a result Cooper received bruising about the right eye and left ear, abdominal tenderness, and bruising to the back and lower neck.

Yesterday King said he could not recall striking Cooper on previous occasions which at one point caused her to be treated at the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital.

When asked by Zuill's lawyer, Mr. Delroy Duncan, if he had punched Cooper on the head, and in the jaw King replied: "I cannot remember.'' Mr. Duncan said: "I suggest to you that you are trying to undermine the truth about the acts of violence.'' He also questioned King about an altercation that took place in March, 1991, in which he threw all of Cooper's clothes on the front lawn before punching her in the head and the stomach while she attempted to pick them up. But King denied that such an event took place.

"And when she fought back you grabbed a knife and put it to her throat,'' Mr.

Duncan said.

King replied: "No sir, it did not occur.'' "At that time you knew Cooper was frightened of you, that's why she did not report the incident,'' Mr. Duncan added.

However King denied that Cooper was ever frightened of him.

Mr. Duncan also questioned King on whether he ever threw alcohol on Cooper and threatened to set her on fire.

"I put alcohol on her twice on her right side to help her because she was stiff and she asked me to do it,'' King replied.

But Mr. Duncan said: "I am suggesting to you that this is a convenient excuse to explain the alcohol.'' He added: "During the time in which you moved houses you took a pair of scissors and violently cut Coopers clothes off, after which she went to live at the Physical Abuse Centre.'' King replied: "No sir that did not happen and I do not know where she went to live. A month later she said she had been staying at a centre but that is all I knew.'' Mr. Duncan replied: "You are telling the court that you slapped Cooper twice and she left your premises and you don't know what centre she went to. Well you knew it wasn't a shopping centre didn't you?'' He also told King that when he was admitted to King Edward VII Memorial Hospital for his injuries caused from the beating he did not tell chief emergency room Dr. Edward Schultz the real reason how he obtained his injuries.

"I told Dr. Schultz that I fell from a stage because I wanted to prevent Police involvement and court proceedings,'' King said.

But Mr. Duncan told King that the real reason he did not tell Dr. Schultz what really happened was because "you did not want to tell him the whole story as to why you were beaten''.

He also told King that the reason why he was beaten by Kenneth Wade and Kujii Wade was because "you became hostile and abusive towards them''.

King denied the allegation and said: "I did not start the fight. I was the victim of a beating.'' Lawyer Ms Elizabeth Christopher, who is representing Kenneth Wade asked King if he was aware that Cooper suffered from seizures. And he admitted that he did.

"So you have no problem hitting her when you know she suffers from seizures and bruising,'' Ms Christopher said.

King said: "I did it and I am sorry.'' Ms Christopher added: "I put it to you that you have no regard for the safety of Rochelle Cooper.'' The trial continues today before Puisne Judge the Hon, Mr. Justice Meerabux.

Crown Counsel is Mr. Peter DeJulio. Kujii Wade is being represented by Ms Keren Lomas.