Bikie says shooter made up story that he was paid to shoot Nick Martin
“He refused to commit the murder on the grounds that he thought it was a stupid idea and that he did not kill innocent women.”
Police outside court on day one of David Pye’s murder trial.Credit: 9 News Perth
However, Whalley claimed that conversations between the two continued and that on another occasion the soldier sold him some ammunition.
During the delivery of the ammunition in July 2020, Whalley alleged that Pye began talking to the trooper about Nick Martin and their “history of hostility and disagreement,” including Pye’s belief that Martin had established a connection to kill him.
Whalley later claimed Pye asked the man to kill Martin and gave him $10,000 to investigate the situation.
The court heard the soldier was unemployed at the time due to an injury at work, had started a mobile coffee truck business with his girlfriend and needed money.
Whalley said the man then “conducted reconnaissance at Nick Martin and his home” and exchanged messages with Pye about his findings; These included flying a drone over his home to examine his security system.
But after being told Martin regularly attended drag racing events at the Motorplex in Kwinana, the trooper suggested he kill him from long range for a fee of $150,000.
Just after 8.30pm on 12 December 2020, Martin was fatally shot during a race meeting in front of his horrified family and the public.
A man sitting behind Martin was hit with the same bullet that fired from Martin’s back.
Whalley told the court Pye later texted the soldier two coffin emojis and a handclapping message.
“There were two?” the soldier replied.
Pye allegedly responded, “One dead, one serious.”
Pye denies all the allegations, with counsel David Hallowes SC telling the court the sniper was a “liar”, never suggested he kill his ex-girlfriend and did not pay him to kill Nick Martin.
“Reliability [the soldier] “It is at the center of this work,” he said.
“The claim came [the soldier] and the prosecution case stands or falls on it.
“We say [the soldier] he is a liar. We say fraud runs through our veins [the soldier] and we will show this by our cross-examination of him.
The soldier will be the prosecution’s first witness and will begin testifying on Thursday.
Pye will be tried by the judge alone.
