Witness Jason Westbrook gave evidence during a trial into the alleged murder of 47-year-old Dean Manshanden in the Launceston Supreme Court on Thursday.

Mr Manshanden’s body was found on a Lottah property on October 15 last year and his neighbour, Kerry Alexander Bilston, has pleaded not guilty to murdering him.

Mr Westbrook told the jury he spoke to Mr Bilston’s former wife, Kellie Gillies, about two weeks after the shooting.

“She mentioned the police had come out the following day and asked for her clothes,” he said.

“I said ‘you’d have nothing to worry about … you wouldn’t know how to use a gun would you?’ She said ‘yes I do, Kerry taught me’.”

Mr Westbrook said it was during that conversation Ms Gillies revealed Mr Bilston had said “if Dean harasses you … shoot him in the head, shoot him dead”, two days before the incident.

“I said ‘f—- Kellie, that’s cold’,” Mr Westbrook told the court.

“She said ‘well, no I said I’ll shoot him in the leg’.”

The court previously heard an ongoing dispute between the neighbours about property boundaries was at the centre of the alleged murder. 

Defence lawyer Greg Hoare argued the conversation between Mr Westbrook and Ms Gillies “simply did not happen”.

“I say it did,” Mr Westbrook responded.

Ms Gillies also took the stand on Thursday and was questioned about the conversation but said it was “incorrect”.

Audio from a triple-0 call made by Mr Bilston on the night of the shooting was played to the jury. Mr Bilston told the operator “this is the last thing I ever wanted to do”.

Operator: “The person you have just shot, are they still alive, sir?”

Mr Bilston: “No.”

Operator: “Where did you shoot him?”

Mr Bilston: “In the head, in the back, he turned away from me ...he started to threaten my partner ... I just snapped, I lost it.”

The trial before Justice Robert Pearce continues.