Two doctors gave evidence yesterday that injuries sustained by Mr Gerry Adams's cousin were consistent with his claim that he was assaulted by RUC officers.
Mr David Adams (39), who is claiming exemplary damages against the RUC, has told the High Court in Belfast that he was beaten up when police went "overboard" after arresting him at the scene of an IRA ambush where a senior detective was the intended target.
He said his injuries included a broken leg, two fractured ribs, a punctured lung and multiple cuts and bruises to his face and body.
Mr Adams, from west Belfast, is serving a 25-year sentence for his part in the murder plot. He has denied all knowledge of it and said when he was arrested at Belmont Avenue, east Belfast, on February 10, 1994, he was there to "give directions to a boy moving stuff like stolen clothes".
Ms Ann Begley gave evidence of examining Mr Adams on his admission to the Ulster Hospital, Dundonald, where she was then senior house officer. She said abrasions and grazing on Mr Adams's face and nose were consistent with being rubbed against a rough surface, the leg fracture with a direct impact, the punctured lung with a direct blow and facial injuries with direct blows like punches.
Ms Begley said a V-shaped wound on his scalp indicated a hard force of impact and could be consistent with a blow from the barrel of a rifle.
Mr James Peyton, a consultant surgeon, said Mr Adams's injuries were consistent with his claims.
A couple who lived in Belmont Avenue at the time of the early-morning incident also gave evidence. The wife said she was awakened by the sound of breaking glass and someone being hit or beaten.
"There was lots of groaning and I heard someone shout: `I hope you choke to death on your own blood.' That seemed to have been said at the end of the beating."
The hearing continues today.