Cucak was taken prisoner near Capljina, southern Bosnia-Herzegovina, in April 1992 and transferred to Lora.
Asked by Presiding Judge Spomenka Tonkovic of the War Crimes Chamber of the Split County Court if he had any information about the maltreatment of civilians in Lora, the witness said that civilians from four southern Bosnian villages were transported to the prison by truck and were held there for not more than ten days, during which time they were subjected to beatings.
Cucak said he had never seen the prisoners before, that they were aged between 35 and 55, and that a Serb Orthodox priest was among them.
The witness said that he himself had been beaten a lot until the prison commander, the first defendant Tomislav Duic, ordered the guards not to touch him any more considering the state he was in.
He recognised all four accused present at the hearing -- Tonci Vrkic, Davor Banic, Ante Gudic and Andjelko Botic -- and asked why other former guards, who he said had been even more cruel in abusing the prisoners, were not present. In this context he cited Zlatan Sulejmanovic, Ivica Livaja and others he referred to by their nicknames, some of whom had been heard as witnesses.
Cucak said he remembered an escape attempt by the prisoner Nenad Knezevic, who died on that occasion. Knezevic was captured in the attempt, brought back to the prison compound and beaten up, and was later taken to a hospital where he died.
Cucak did not know what had happened with the other prisoner who tried to escape together with Knezevic and who, according to the indictment, died in the prison later that day as a result of beating.
The witness said that Knezevic was beaten up by the accused Gudic and Botic.
When asked by Botic if he was sure that he had beaten Knezevic, Cucak said he was not sure. Responding to the same question put by Gudic, Cucak said he was sure that he had beaten Knezevic. Gudic raised an objection, saying that he had taken Botic to the prison infirmary after Knezevic injured him during the attempted escape.