Bikie David Pye pleads not guilty for sniper murder of rival Nick Martin at Perth Motorplex
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Alleged ‘mastermind’ of $150,000 hit on bikie boss denies he is the man behind the sniper-style attack
- Bikie denies organizing sniper fire on rival in Perth
- David Pye accused of paying $150,000 to kill Nick Martin
- A long-range shooting occurred at the Perth Motorplex in 2020
A Perth cyclist has denied orchestrating the fatal shooting of a rival gang member and conspiring to murder two other people during a court appearance.
David James Pye, 40, appeared at Stirling Gardens Magistrates Court on Wednesday via video link from custody, where he pleaded not guilty to six charges.
Pye, who was wearing an orange prison uniform, spoke only to confirm his name and enter his six not guilty pleas to charges including handling money that was used in connection with the murder.
David James Pye (pictured) pleaded not guilty to hiring a hit man to gun down bikie boss Nick Martin
He has been charged with the murder of former Rebels associate and senior motorcyclist Nick Martin, who was shot dead from long range at the Perth Motorplex drag racing hub in 2020.
Pye, a former Rebels associate who was linked to the Comancheros gang, is alleged to have arranged and paid for Martin to be shot in a sniper-style attack where the trigger was pulled from 1,000 feet away.
The shooter, a former soldier, was sentenced in 2021 to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to Martin’s murder.
Police allege Pye offered to pay the same shooter to kill a woman and another senior cyclist, Comanchero chief Ray Cilli, who lives in Thailand.
Nick Martin (pictured with his wife) was murdered at the Perth Motorplex on December 12, 2020 after a contract killing that was allegedly masterminded by former Rebels associate David Pye.
The hitman’s name, which has been redacted for legal reasons, avoided a life sentence for murder after agreeing to testify against Pye.
He claimed that Pye offered him $150,000 to kill Martin.
Pye allegedly initially contacted the 35-year-old man in early 2020 via the encrypted messaging service Wire, asking him about his experience and skills.
The killer kept an eye on Martin and even sent a drone over his house.
Cilli’s alleged plan was to spray him with a machine gun as he left a bar in Thailand, according to the hit man.
In August, Pye told the Western Australian newspaper that he should be allowed into the general units at Perth’s Casuarina prison.
He has been isolated in the prison’s special handling unit (SHU) because prison bosses believe he will be at risk if they put him in the general population.
Pye said he could “go to jail anywhere, anytime” but did not understand why he was being segregated from other inmates.
He also stated that there was no tension between the cycling clubs and that the idea was “propaganda created by the police”.
“I’m not in SHU for my own protection, I would gladly get out of this unit and sign a release,” he said.
Pye has vowed to face trial in the Supreme Court and will return to court at a later date.