Murder victim Stefan Burgess was an “amazing” father who wanted to turn his life around following the birth of his daughter, a Supreme Court jury has been told.

Mr Burgess, 24, from Frog Lane, Devonshire, was gunned down while attending a birthday party at a house on The Glebe Road, Pembroke, on the evening of January 8, 2012. A second party guest, Davano Bremer, was shot in the groin during the attack, but survived his injuries.

Yesterday Julian Washington, 24, from Grace Lane, Pembroke went on trial for the premeditated murder of Mr Burgess. Mr Washington has also been charged with the attempted murder of Mr Bremer, using a firearm to commit the offences, and handling ammunition.

Outlining the case for the prosecution, lawyer Garret Byrne explained how Mr Burgess had been a family man with a tight-knit group of friends who was excited about a new job that he was about to start.

Mr Bryne added that, while some young men “form close alliances and a loyalty to a certain area”, which resulted in confrontations between rival gangs, Mr Burgess and his friends “were doing their very best to keep out and remain neutral and not get involved with anyone”.

Describing the events leading up to the shooting, Mr Bryne said that Mr Burgess had spent the day with friends celebrating the 21st birthday of Maxwell Hayward. After brunch at the Elbow Beach Hotel, the group went on to Devonshire Rec football club before going back to Mr Hayward’s apartment on The Glebe Road.

“As the time approached 9pm, a motorbike approached the premises with two people,” Mr Bryne said.

“We say that one of those was Mr Washington. Something seems to have spooked a dog which started to bark.

“Stefan Burgess then decided to go home to change his clothes and get some money. When he got to the front door he was confronted by a man wearing dark clothes and a helmet. That man opened fire, shooting Mr Burgess in the upper body. The defendant then came into the flat and continued to shoot the weapon.”

According to Mr Byrne, Mr Washington then fled the scene, escaping on a waiting motorbike. Mr Burgess was taken to hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival. He had been shot twice in the upper body.

Mr Byrne told the jury that Mr Washington was arrested on the following day. He said the jury would hear evidence from DNA experts linking the accused to a number of bullet cartridges found at the scene. Police also seized his cellphone which contained a number of photographs taken on the day of the murder.

The prosecutor also said that three items of clothing owned by Mr Washington were swabbed for analysis which “links him to these crimes”.

And Mr Byrne also claimed that Mr Burgess had fought with a friend of Mr Washington just days before he was shot. The friend, Anthony Smith, had a tooth knocked out in the brawl and immediately told Mr Washington of the incident.

Mr Burgess’s longtime girlfriend, Latika Goins, was the first witness to give evidence during yesterday’s proceedings. The couple had a daughter who was just five-years old when her father was gunned down.

Ms Goins explained that, when she first met Mr Burgess eight years ago, he was “a little rough around the edges”, but changed when he became a father.

“He used to get into altercations with people from time to time — he ran with a rough crowd,” she said.

“He was an amazing father, a hands-on father. He loved to dress his daughter and take her to school and pick her up. He was very helpful and he had definitely evolved from when I first met him — he changed once our daughter was born.”

Ms Goins explained that Mr Burgess’s twin brother and best friend were killed in separate bike accidents in 2006 and shortly afterwards, Mr Burgess was attacked outside his house, receiving stab wounds to his head, back and chest.

“When he knew he was about to become a father, he knew it was time for him to grow up and get a job,” Ms Goins explained.

She added that her boyfriend had cut ties with his former gang colleagues.

“The friendships petered out because they were doing completely different things. They didn’t have anything in common any more, although they didn’t really have any issues,” she said.

“He didn’t need that. His life now ws about his family and he didn’t need that — he wasn’t involved. He knew that his old friends that he used to hang out with didn’t trust him. They mistrusted him because he refused to get into trouble.”

Describing the last conversation she had with Mr Burgess, a tearful Ms Goins said: “I spoke to him two or three hours before he was shot. Our daughter was asking for her father, and so I called him and told him that his daughter was missing him. He said he was going for a drive but would see me when I got back. The next time I saw him was in the morgue.”

The trial, before Puisne Judge Carlisle Greaves, is expected to last two weeks.