Jakarta – A key witness in the Tommy Suharto murder-and-firearms trial said police beat her up and threatened her family to force her to implicate the suspect.

In a blow to the prosecution's case, Hetty Siti Hartika denied yesterday that guns allegedly found in an apartment complex which she managed belonged to Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra. The youngest son of former president Suharto could face the death penalty if convicted of ordering the murder of a judge or of possessing firearms.

"They kept telling me that my family would be eliminated," she said, adding she was kicked, hit and that one police officer had threatened to shoot her. Hetty, 39, denied she had stored the firearms on orders from Tommy. She is now serving a four-year jail term for storing and possessing the weapons.

But a second witness, Sainah, who was Hetty's maid at the apartment, told the court she and Hetty had moved three bags from an apartment staircase to a room frequented by Tommy. The case has been adjourned to April 10.