Australian who filmed four dead and dying cop sent to prison

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — A speeding driver in Australia was sentenced to 10 months in prison yesterday for offences including what a judge described as the “heartless, cruel and disgraceful” filming of four dead and dying police officers who had just been hit by a truck on a freeway.

Richard Pusey, a 42-year-old mortgage broker, had earlier pleaded guilty in the Victoria state County Court to a rarely-prosecuted charge of outraging public decency over his commentary in crash scene videos shot with his phone. It was the first time the charge had been prosecuted in the state since 1963.

The most serious charge he admitted was reckless conduct endangering persons, which carries a potential maximum of five years in prison.

Judge Trevor Wraight sentenced Pusey to 10 months in prison, backdated to when he was taken into custody 296 days ago.

Police had pulled Pusey over for driving his Porsche at 149 kilometres (93 miles) per hour on Melbourne’s Eastern Freeway in April last year.

Police were considering impounding the sports car because Pusey had far exceeded the 100 kph (62 mph) speed limit when a truck crashed into the officers, Pusey’s Porche and two police cars in an emergency stopping lane.

Pusey, who avoided injury because he had been urinating behind roadside bushes at the time, did not help but instead filmed the scene.

His profanity-laden commentary while filming included “he’s smashed”, “justice”, “absolutely amazing” and “beautiful”.

“I think everyone got cleaned up,” Pusey said. “I guess I’ll be getting a ... Uber home, huh.”

When one of five bystanders who came to the aid of the stricken officers asked Pusey to help, he replied: “They’re dead”, and continued filming.

Wraight described Pusey’s conduct as “callous and reprehensible”.

“Your conduct ... was heartless, cruel and disgraceful,” the judge said.

Wraight told Pusey that ongoing media coverage of the case showed that the “public has demonised you”.