apartment and sexually assaulting her, today begins the second day of his Magistrates' Court trial on the charges.

The man, who is suspended from duty, maintains he had an open invitation from the woman to visit her anytime.

In his signed Police statement read in court yesterday, the man said he had become friends with the woman at more than one meeting at Flanagan's Pub and Oasis Nightclub on Front Street.

He said he had become aware on walks to her Pembroke apartment that the woman was always losing her keys.

So when he went to her apartment in the early hours of July 25, 1993 after an evening "booze cruise'' and some time at the Oasis Club, he said he entered her apartment through a window. He said he did so after knocking on the door and hearing the woman mutter something about the window.

"I took this to mean `come in' because she had lost her keys again,'' said Chief Insp. Carlton Adams who was called by the Crown to read the defendant's signed statement.

The signed version stood in contrast with an earlier unsigned Police statement taken by Det. Con. Ian De Aillie the morning the officer was arrested.

Det. Con. De Aillie told the court that the man went to the woman's Pembroke apartment and gained entry through a window.

The woman was asleep at the time, he said. The officer removed his shoes and was making himself a cup of coffee when the woman woke up and started screaming she was going to call the Police.

The statement described the officer fleeing after only managing to put one of his socks and shoe back on. The man then threw away his other shoe and sock so that his wife would not become suspicious.

The man later that day led Police to the shoe in a vacant lot on Par-La-Ville Road.

Crown counsel Mr. Stephen Harrison is expected to call the woman to the stand this morning to testify.

During yesterday's session, Mr. Delroy Duncan, representing the accused man, heavily criticised the print and broadcast media for their earlier reports when the man was charged.

Mr. Duncan said that he had written a formal complaint on October 6 to Chief Insp. Carlton Adams. In that letter, he complained about media coverage of the story because it allowed the public to identify the defendant by process of elimination.

He said his client had received phone calls from people inquiring whether he was the one who was charged.

Mr. Duncan said the electronic media had taken pictures of his client and then made a poor attempt to hide his identity.

"I want a strong admonishment from the court to the media that they should follow the spirit of the law and not state anything that would lead the public to identify who the defendant is,'' he said.

However, Magistrate the Wor. Cheryl Mapp said that although she agreed the reporting of the case should be fair, there was nothing done so far that demonstrated the media was in breach of the law.

"I am a member of the public,'' Mrs. Mapp said. "But I do not listen to the media or read the newspapers. I can say it won't affect this case one way or another. I don't think there is more I can add unless there has actually been a breach.'' The trial continues this morning in Magistrates' Court.