By MINDELL SMALL, Guardian Senior Reporter

mindell@nasguard.com

A gay man who said he was allegedly brutally beaten by a security guard and police officers last Sunday, showed The Guardian his bodily bruises and a gaping wound in the back of his head, that required 10 stitches.

Loxsley Bastian, 41, said Wednesday, that he did not know any of his alleged attackers, and concluded that they only beat him because he is gay.

He said the ordeal started on Sunday afternoon at McDonald's on Marlborough Street, where he and his friend Aretha Carey, had gone for lunch.

While at the restaurant, a security officer from Executive Security Services, reportedly started shouting anti-gay epithets at him, telling him to leave the restaurant. He said he refused to leave and the security, believed to be in his late 20's, allegedly grabbed him and punched him several times in his head.

He said that while he was being punched, customers and employees at the restaurant did nothing to stop the attack.

The police was called and four officers quickly arrived on the scene, taking Mr Bastian and the security guard for questioning at The Central Police Station. Mr Bastian said the security officer was questioned and released, but the police allegedly kept him at the station and started calling him ill names, before flinging him in a holding cell. He said he was able to get the badge numbers of some of the "abusive" officers who allegedly include 1581 Pyfrom, 2798 Basden 1359 Demeritte, PC 2846 McDonald, WPC 2687 and WPC 2087.

He notified his father, ex-inspector Anthony Bastian, who allegedly asked the officers to release his son. He was reportedly released on Monday around one o'clock in the morning, without filing a statement about the McDonald's incident.

Vice President of Operations at McDonald's, Jacklyn Marshall told The Guardian Thursday, that she was aware of the incident but could not comment on it, saying it was a police matter.

When The Guardian called Chief Superintendent Kirtland Hutcheson, Officer in Charge of Central Police Station, he affirmed that Mr Bastian was at the station over the weekend but was not charged with any crime. He added Mr Bastian was known for being "abusive and disruptive" on Bay Street. Supt Hutcheson further revealed that Mr Bastian was taken into custody yesterday for "disorderly" behaviour downtown.

However, Mr Bastian's father, Anthony, disputed Supt Hutcheson's story, saying his son was not an abusive person and was being taken advantage of because of his sexual orientation.

"They really took advantage of him because one of the officers knocked him with a searchlight in the back of his head," said Mr Bastian Sr. "When I saw him, he was all torn up and his head was busted up, but they did not charge him, and they could not charge him."

"Every time they see him on Bay Street, they are out to get him. It's like he doesn't have a constitutional right to walk Bay Street."

Erin Greene of The Rainbow Alliance of The Bahamas (RAB), a gay advocacy group, said the Alliance is appalled by the violence against Mr Bastian.