Mayne, who pleaded guilty to the murder of Matthew Gouldthorpe by running over him in Dowling St, Launceston, on February 19 last year, yesterday said that Mr Brown had never made the comment and he could not remember telling police that he had.

Director of Public Prosecution Tim Ellis, SC, labelled Mayne's evidence a pack of lies designed to get his friend out of trouble. Mr Brown, of Outram St, Summerhill, has pleaded not guilty to murder in the Launceston Supreme Court.

He and Mayne were in the vehicle that deliberately chased down and ran over Mr Gouldthorpe, a 19-year-old student who had been in Tasmania for three days and who was asking directions to find his way back to his lodgings.

Mr Gouldthorpe was walking near Dowling St about 3.30am when the pair, who had known each other for about a month, pulled up.

In a police interview played to the court, Mr Brown said that he told Mayne to "clip him" but was joking and did not think he would do it.

Mayne drove the silver 1987 Commodore at Mr Gouldthorpe at up to 83kmh.

Mr Gouldthorpe was dragged under the car for 20m and died at the scene from multiple head and internal injuries.

The pair fled the area but were caught by a policeman called to attend the hit-run.

In his first interview, Mr Brown told police they had accidentally hit Mr Gouldthorpe.

"We were just driving and heard a bang," Mr Brown told police about fours hours after the deliberate hit-run.

Mr Brown was reinterviewed at 12.35pm and said that Mayne had asked him if he should hit Mr Gouldthorpe.

"I said, `oh yeah clip him'," Mr Brown told police.

"I didn't think he'd do it. I was only joking."

Mr Brown said that Mayne veered across the road and clipped Mr Gouldthorpe before he did another u-turn and "floored it".

"I was saying `no, no, don't hit him again' and then bang, we went over the top of him."

Asked why he told Mayne to hit him, Mr Brown replied: "If you tell someone to run someone over they don't do it, if you tell someone to shoot someone they don't do it."

Mayne yesterday said that he came across Mr "Goldburn" and, after a brief conversation which he could not remember, decided he would run him over.

"I said `I'm going to hit this bloke'," Mayne told the court from the witness box yesterday.

"Michael said `no' and went to get out of the car, I sped up and hit him."

He said that Mr Brown tried to open the car's door but he put his foot down.

"He said not to hit him. I said `shut up, just sit down'," Mayne said.

Mr Ellis asked Mayne about several different versions he gave to police after the murder.

Mayne said that he could not remember telling police he was not the driver or later changing his story to allege Mr Brown had told him to run the teenager over.

"Mr Mayne, it's the case that you've come here to court to tell a pack of lies to get your friend out of trouble," Mr Ellis said.

Mayne said "no".

Defence lawyer Greg Richardson suggested that Mayne had told a series of lies to police after the crime to reduce his responsibility and shift blame onto Mr Brown.

The trial will continue tomorrow.