A man charged with attempted murder has denied knowingly purchasing a stolen motorcycle as his trial continued.

Devon Hewey, 25, and Cervio Cox, 30, both deny charges of attempted murder of Lavon Thomas and Darren Thompson during a Reid Street shooting on March 24 last year and using a firearm to commit the offence. A third man, Julian Washington, had also been charged with the offence, but was fully acquitted on Monday.

Neither of the men allegedly targeted were injured in the 3.30am shooting, which sparked a high-speed police chase.

Officers followed the motorcycle to the Botanical Gardens where they found a motorcycle with its engine and muffler still warm and the keys in the ignition.

Tests later identified two particles of gunshot residue (GSR) on the vehicle’s rear pillion grips, along with numerous component particles which could be produced by a firearm being discharged.

Taking the stand in his own defence, yesterday, Mr Hewey said the bike and a helmet found in Botanical Gardens belonged to him, but that he had lent them to a friend on the evening of the shooting, and was later told both items had been stolen.

And while he said he had phone conversations with Mr Cox about his co-defendant possibly buying cannabis, he said he did not see him at any point that evening.

“I told him the person I thought had it would deal with it in the light,” Mr Hewey told the court.

As the trial continued yesterday, prosecutor Carrington Mahoney challenged Mr Hewey about his version of events, focusing on how he obtained the motorcycle.

The defendant had told the court that he purchased the bike in January of 2012 after seeing it advertised on eMoo, but had a neighbourhood man purchase the bike and get it insured on his behalf because he didn’t have a 100cc licence.

However Mr Mahoney suggested to Mr Hewey that the bike was never advertised on eMoo, and the real reason he had another man make the purchase for him was because he knew the vehicle had been stolen. Mr Hewey denied both suggestions.

Mr Mahoney also questioned Mr Hewey why he had not relicensed the bike when it’s licence expired in March or attempted to get a 100cc licence in the months after the purchase. Mr Hewey responded that he “didn’t get around to it”, but was working on having the vehicle licenced.

“I didn’t have the money,” he said. “I had to buy the bike and then I had to pay $171 to get it insured. It would be another $300 down at TCD. It was a work in progress.”

Despite not having a licence for the vehicle or having the cycle licenced, he said he did ride it on occasion and lent it out to friends in the neighbourhood.

He also denied purchasing new wheels, grips and a new floormat for the cycle in order to make it less recognisable as the stolen vehicle, saying: “I’m not going to do that to a stolen bike. That would be foolish.”

The trial is set to continue this morning.