**Title: Trial Underway for Bikie Accused of Contract Murder**

A trial is currently underway for David James Pye, a 43-year-old bikie accused of orchestrating the murder of rival gang member Nick Martin. Pye has pleaded not guilty to six charges, including murder, related to the shooting that occurred at the Perth Motorplex on December 12, 2020. Prosecutor Justin Whalley SC presented the case in the Western Australian Supreme Court, alleging that Pye organized and financed the sniper-style attack on Martin.

According to Whalley, Pye believed that Martin had placed a contract on his life. "The accused said words to the effect of, well, you do it, and offered [the shooter] $150,000," Whalley stated. He detailed the history of conflict between Pye and Martin, which allegedly motivated the murder plot. Pye reportedly paid the shooter, a soldier trained in sniper tactics, $50,000 in cash as a pre-payment for the murder.

Martin was shot while seated in the spectator area of the racetrack from over 300 meters away using a .308 caliber rifle. The bullet passed through Martin's body and struck another man, causing serious injury. Whalley revealed that after the shooting, the shooter received a message from Pye on the encrypted app Wire, which included two coffin emojis and a hand clap emoji, indicating the outcome of the attack.

The shooter later visited Pye's residence, where he found the remaining cash payment in a Woolworths bag. Whalley recounted that the shooter counted the money and discovered it totaled $50,000, half of what he had expected. When he messaged Pye about the discrepancy, Pye allegedly replied, "the other person didn't put in - it is what it is."

In 2021, the shooter was sentenced to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to Martin's murder. The trial, which is expected to last three weeks, features a glass wall separating Justice Joseph McGrath, the lawyers, and Pye from the public gallery, with a significant police presence outside the courtroom.

Pye was on home detention bail at the time of the alleged murder, facing other charges related to physical and sexual offenses. Whalley also claimed that Pye offered the shooter $380,000 to kill his accuser and dispose of her body, but the shooter declined, deeming it a "stupid idea."

Additionally, Pye allegedly offered the shooter $600,000 to kill a Comancheros gang member in Thailand during a period when he was switching allegiances from the Comancheros to the Mongols outlaw motorcycle gang. However, that murder plot did not materialize.

Pye's defense attorney, David Hallowes SC, argued that the shooter is dishonest and that Pye never suggested killing Martin or offered him money for the act. Hallowes stated, "David Pye never suggested [to the shooter] to kill Nick Martin, he did not offer money to [him] to do this, nor did he pay him any money."

Hallowes also dismissed the prosecution's evidence, claiming that recorded conversations would not lead to a guilty verdict. He described Pye's language as colorful but maintained that it would not support the prosecution's case. The trial is set to continue on Thursday, with the shooter expected to testify.