The assassin who murdered a former bikie boss in a sniper-style attack at a suburban speedway has told a Perth court he had killed people in targeted assassinations before.Â
The man is the star witness for the prosecution in the high-profile trial of David James Pye, who is accused of orchestrating the public killing of rival bikie Nick Martin at the Kwinana Motorplex in December 2020.Â
It is alleged Mr Pye hired the assassin, who is serving a 20-year jail sentence for Mr Martin’s murder and can’t be identified.Â
David James Pye stands accused of ordering the hit on former Rebels boss Nick Martin. (AAP Image: Angie Raphael)
The assassin told the WA Supreme Court he had told Mr Pye and his partner that he did not know how many people he may have killed, while a secretly-recorded conversation also captured him telling them about the first time he had killed a person.
The man completed his time in the witness box behind protective glass yesterday, but some of the evidence he gave on Friday has been suppressed until now.
He was asked by Mr Pye’s lawyer David Hallowes if he had done reconnaissance and killed a target, aside from Mr Martin.
The shooter agreed he had done reconnaissance on targets for many years, saying it was overseas and not in Australia.
The man accused of killing Nick Martin has finished giving evidence. (Supplied)
The court has heard that the man had worked as security for the medical volunteer group Shadows Of Hope in Iraq.
“I’ve done reconnaissance on targets,” he said from behind protective glass in the witness box, adding: “Sometimes I’ve been a party.”
The defence lawyer then asked him if there were times when he did the reconnaissance and then “carried out the execution”, and he replied yes.
“Not in self defence?” he was asked.
“Yes and no,” he responded.
Secretly-recorded conversation
The man did not go into any more detail on the “executions” but did confirm he had previously talked about one shooting, after it was put to him by the defence.Â
He was asked by Mr Hallowes about a secretly-recorded conversation with Mr Pye and the bikie’s partner, which has been described in court as “Mexican food night”.
It was during this conversation when he talked about the “first time” he killed a person.
David Pye’s legal team David Hallowes (left) and Paul Holmes (centre). (ABC News: David Weber)
The court heard he had “shot someone who was outside the car” through the glass window and that it happened overseas.
He had also suggested he did not know how many people he had killed over time.
“You’re not always going to walk over there and check them out,” he agreed he had told Mr Pye and his partner, but added “you can be pretty sure” when you had killed someone.Â
‘I don’t feel nothing’
When Mr Pye’s partner asked him “does that haunt you?”, he initially said no, but then conceded “a little bit”.
The assassin explained his feelings, or lack of them, further in the recording.
“When you kill someone, you’re like ‘I don’t feel nothing’, and then you’re like ‘I should feel something … what’s wrong with me?’ You know in movies they freak out.”Alleged bikie killer released on bail
He also said: “I’ll only kill a dude when it’s warranted.”
Justice Joseph McGrath, who is presiding over the judge-alone trial, had allowed the shooter to refer to previous killings with the assurance the evidence couldn’t be used against him in any future proceedings.
Last week the court heard the Australian Federal Police had previously shown an interest in his activities overseas, and had investigated him for terrorism offences.Â
On Monday, Mr Hallowes asked the shooter if he had once claimed he had worked for the CIA, and he agreed he had.
When asked if he had said this to Mr Pye to “big note himself”, he said yes.
The shooter also admitted he had let his partner believe the killing of Nick Martin was related to “things going on overseas”.
The woman told the court he had told her he worked for the government, and when she saw some of the money he had been paid for the killing, he told her that was where it came from.
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