A detective has denied that gardai racially abused a 33-yearold Zairean national and called his children `monkeys' when they searched a Dublin house in the early hours of the morning.
Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that the man bit one garda and kicked another on the ankle.
Mr Belmondo Wantete Mukulu, married with a family, has denied assaulting the gardai causing them harm, and also resisting and obstructing gardai at his home on Rafters Road, Drimnagh on May 1st, 1995.
The jury heard that the previous afternoon gardai arrested two Nigerian nationals using stolen credit cards, who gave their address as two adjacent houses on Rafters Road. Mr Wantete lived with his wife and children in one of them.
Detective Sergeant Gus Keane told Mr Dominic McGinn, prosecuting, that when he knocked on the door of this house at about 3.30 a.m, Mr Wantete appeared at the window and told them to "Go away, come in the morning".
Det Sgt Keane told Mr McGinn he introduced himself, showed his identification and told Mr Wantete they had a search warrant. Mr Wantete still refused to let them in.
The garda said he then forced the door open and went inside. They found stolen goods which had no relation to the credit cards found on the Nigerians. i tried to arrest him, Mr Wantete resisted arrest and bit Garda Gearoid McCarthy on the neck and kicked Gda Sean Collum on the ankle, he said.
Mr Niall Durnin, defending, suggested that the whole incident had been a "total disaster" in which the gardai had got the "wrong address and the wrong person."
He also suggested that Det Sgt Keane had pushed the barrel of his firearm through the window when Mr Wantete refused to open the door.
Det Sgt Keane denied that he racially abused Mr Wantete and his family, calling his children "monkeys."
He admitted that he first arrested Mr Wantete for possession of stolen property, but that he was charged with assault later.
The hearing continues today before Judge Yvonne Murphy.