THE man accused of murdering Scottish schoolboy international footballer Lawrence Haggart told a jury yesterday that he had been repeatedly slapped and punched and deprived of food and sleep during a weekend in police custody.

Mr Brian Beattie denied that he had confessed to murdering the 15-year-old Celtic signing or that he had violent sexual fantasies about abducting young men for sexual gratification as portrayed in a pornographic homosexual video found in his home.

Mr Beattie, 33, denies murdering Lawrence and setting fire to his body in the boy's home in Glenbervie Drive, Larbert, Stirlingshire, in March 1996.

He has lodged a special defence of alibi, and also blames the victim's brother, Dennis, who was 12 at the time, for the murder.

The jury at the High Court in Edinburgh has heard evidence from police that in a statement to police more than a year after Lawrence died Mr Beattie confessed to the murder.

He is alleged to have told detectives that he had urges, needed help and that he was disgusted with himself.

Beattie went into the witness box yesterday to explain that he had first been interviewed about an attack on Lawrence Haggart in March 1996 before the boy died from his injuries. He told police then that on the night of the attack he had been involved in homosexual activity in Edinburgh and had been nowhere near Lawrence's home.

He had signed that statement on every page because it was the truth. Asked about a pornographic video found in his home during a police search, Mr Beattie, said he had borrowed it from a friend but had watched only about 10 or 15 minutes of it because he didn't like it.

He had been stopped by police in August 1997 and taken to Stirling police station. He had been told he was to be questioned about Lawrence Haggart and had asked who Lawrence Haggart was because he didn't know him.

At this point Mr Beattie broke down in the witness box and was asked by Mr Edgar Prais QC, defence counsel, why he was crying. ''Because I'm accused of this murder,'' Beattie replied.

He alleged that during 48 hours in the police station he had been assaulted by three policemen involved in interviewing him.

Mr Prais asked: ''During that weekend, did you confess to this murder? Did you tell them you knew anything about it?'' ''No,'' replied Mr Beattie. ''We have heard evidence from various policemen that on a number of occasions you admitted murdering Lawrence Haggart,'' Mr Prais said. ''Did you admit that? Did you murder Lawrence Haggart?'' ''No,'' replied the accused to both questions.

He alleged that police had told him that if he signed a confession he would be allowed to see a doctor and be admitted to a mental hospital. If he didn't he would be facing a 25-year sentence, and once the public got to know about it police wouldn't be able to provide protection for his brother's family and their house might be burned down.

He said he had broken down more than once during the weekend at the police station ''because they were trying to get me to admit to a murder I never committed.''

Cross-examined by Mr Duncan Menzies QC, advocate-depute, Mr Beattie denied he had asked to see his brother William because he didn't want his brother's family to suffer for something that he had done.

Mr Menzies put it to Mr Beattie that he had never been punched or slapped by anybody, but the accused claimed that he had first been punched on the Friday evening he was taken into the police station.

He denied that he was interested in the fantasy of abducting young men and using violence against them or that he had talked to the police about ''urges'' that he had.

Mr Menzies said: ''What you're saying is that this is an elaborate scheme...a conspiracy among Central Scotland Police to have you falsely convicted.'' ''Yes. I did not do the crime,'' answered Mr Beattie.

The trial continues.