Two former detectives charged with murder were together in jail when one allegedly came up with a plan that would get them out.
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Glen McNamara and Roger Rogerson had been charged with the shooting death of university student Jamie Gao, 20, and taking the the 2.78 kilograms of the drug ice he had brought to a meeting.
Mr McNamara has told a court his co-accused, Mr Rogerson proposed to concoct a story that involved self defence.
"[Rogerson] said, 'I reckon it should be that Jamie Gao attacked you and you defended yourself,'" McNamara told a jury during his NSW Supreme Court murder trial on Tuesday.
Mr McNamara then claimed Mr Rogerson spoke about how he had shot people in the past.
"[Rogerson] said…I've seen plenty of people shot at, I've shot a few myself. I've seen plenty of gunshot victims, I'm an expert."
Mr McNamara agreed that Mr Rogerson had spoken about shooting people in the context of when he was a serving police officer.
This conversation was alleged to have taken place inside the Metropolitan Remand and Reception Centre late in 2014.
Mr McNamara claims he told Mr Rogerson that he would "think about" the idea of claiming Mr Gao was shot at in self defence.
"I wanted to convey to Mr Rogerson that I would agree to this defence so that I could collect evidence of the true nature of the offence of Mr Rogerson," he told the jury.
A court has heard that Jamie Gao was shot twice in the chest and died inside a southern Sydney storage shed on May 20, 2014.
His body was wrapped in a blue tarpaulin and stuffed inside a silver surfboard bag before being dumped at sea.
The prosecution's case has finished and Mr McNamara is giving evidence as part of his defence.
Mr Rogerson and Mr McNamara are blaming each other for the shooting.
Mr McNamara's counsel has argued that only helped to dispose of the body of Mr Gao because he was under "duress". In her opening address, McNamara's former barrister Kara Shead said her client's life and the lives of his daughters had been threatened by Mr Rogerson.
But Rogerson's barrister George Thomas has argued that it was Mr McNamara who shot Mr Gao.
The trial continues before Justice Geoffrey Bellew.
