denied allegations by defence lawyer Archie Warner that they grabbed suspected cocaine dealer Vincent Oneal Douglas as he answered his front door, kneed him in the groin, and broke two of his ribs.

"That's ridiculous,'' countered Police Sergeant Steven Lightbourne. "As soon as the door opened the defendant tried to run out past us.'' And his testimony was backed by Detective constable Barry Richards, who told Puisne Judge Richard Ground and an 11-woman, one-man jury that Douglas -- his hands cuffed behind his back -- was injured after he ran from officers a second time the night of his arrest, and fell face first onto a wall being built in a trench.

The exchange came as the Supreme Court trial of the 42-year-old Southampton taxi driver entered its second week. Douglas, of Plumber's Lane, and Janice Dayle-Smith of King Street, Pembroke, were charged together with importing and intent to supply $155,000 worth of cocaine.

Dayle-Smith earlier this month pleaded guilty to the charge and was handed a seven-year prison term. She was arrested January 29, 1995, by Customs Officers after returning from a trip to New York City. The cocaine was found hidden inside four bottles of hair products.

Testifying at the start of the trial, she told the Court that she travelled to New York to collect the drugs from a Colombian man named Roberto. Following her arrest she then assisted Police with a controlled delivery.

On the evening of January 29 testified D.c. Richards, he observed a white Toyota, plate number 16099, stop by Smith's King Street home and followed it on a circuitous route towards Warwick Parish, losing it finally on Scenic Heights Road.

He next saw the car parked outside Douglas' Plumber's Lane home, said D.c.

Richards; four Police officers subsequently arrived that evening to exercise a search warrant.

However just after opening the door testified both officers, Douglas appeared to panic and ran off towards Middle Road. He was brought back and placed in handcuffs.

As officers continued to search the house Douglas attempted to escape again, getting about 55 yards away before stumbling into a trench and wall that was under construction. As officers picked him up said D.c. Richards, Douglas complained his side was hurt.

"It's my instructions that that's just an attempt to cover-up for kicking and beating the defendant,'' charged Mr. Warner, drawing a sharp response from D.c. Richards: "Well your instructions are wrong Mr. Warner, that never happened.'' The defence alleges the officers, upset they did not find drugs during their search of the house, administered the beating to make Douglas talk; both Sgt.

Lightbourne and D.c. Richards however called those charges "ridiculous''.

Mr. Warner further charged Police withheld medical treatment to induce Douglas to confess in sworn statements to Police. Both officers again strongly denied that.

While admitting Douglas appeared to be favouring one side, they testified they had no way of knowing he had broken two ribs.

The drugs were found the next day underneath a bathroom window behind the house.

Under questioning by Crown counsel Khamisi Tokunbo a former Government analyst, Dr. Allen Young, yesterday told the Court the drugs tested as cocaine hydrochloride. And samples from the four bottles, weighing in at 152, 144, 126, and 76.2 grams, were deemed to be 79, 81, 78, and 83 percent cocaine hydrochloride.

The trial continues this morning in the Supreme Court.