Porsche driver allegedly taunted dying cop, court hears
GRAPHIC WARNING: A mortgage broker allegedly involved in the Eastern Freeway tragedy is accused of filming a dying police officer and telling her ‘‘all I wanted to do was go home and have some sushi’’.
Richard Pusey, 41, also allegedly complained about his wrecked black Porsche 911 as he filmed the aftermath of the horrific crash that claimed the lives of four Victorian police officers in Melbourne on Wednesday.
He was pulled over on Wednesday for allegedly travelling at 149kmh on the freeway and tested positive to ice and cannabis. Pusey was urinating on the side of the freeway when a semi-trailer veered into the emergency lane and hit the four officers who were preparing to impound his Porsche.
Leading Senior Constable Lynette Taylor, Constable Glen Humphris, Senior
Constable Kevin King and Constable Josh Prestney were killed.
Pusey was charged on Thursday with numerous offences including driving at a dangerous speed, reckless conduct endangering life, failing to remain after a drug test, failing to render assistance, failing to exchange details and possessing a drug of dependence. He is also charged with the destruction of evidence and committing an indictable offence while on bail. He faced Melbourne Magistrates Court yesterday morning.
In an unusual move, homicide squad Detective Senior Constable Aaron Price asked Magistrate Donna Bakos if he could read out parts of the police summary to the court to ensure all reporting of the incident was accurate.
He told the court that Leading Senior Constable Taylor’s body-worn camera continued running throughout the incident and captured the aftermath of the collision.
Pusey was intercepted by Leading
Senior Constable Taylor and Constable Humphris who pulled him into the emergency lane about 4.30pm. Inquiries about the Porsche’s registration revealed it was connected to outstanding matters so the two officers called for back-up, the court heard. Highway Patrol officers Senior Constable Kevin King and Constable Josh Prestney arrived at 5.35pm.
The four police officers were standing next to their cars while Pusey had gone into nearby grassland to urinate when the semi-trailer veered into the emergency lane and hit the officers.
The court heard Pusey saw where all four officers were after they were hit by the truck and described to police the injuries they had sustained.
In footage captured by her body-worn camera, Senior Constable Taylor can be heard calling out for help at 5.42pm.
As passersby got out of their cars to help, Pusey then allegedly removed two iphones from his car and walked around the scene using his phone to record videos. He then allegedly walked up to Senior Constable Taylor. In the body-cam footage she can be heard groaning before Pusey allegedly says to her: ‘‘There you go, amazing, absolutely amazing. All I wanted to do was go home and have some sushi and now you f..... my f...... car.’’ Police allege he did not try to render assistance in any way.
The body-cam footage also captured a passerby telling Pusey to leave the scene as he is filming. He responded: ‘‘That’s my f...... car mate.’’
Pusey asked someone for a lift to Fitzroy, the court heard.
Later that night, he allegedly called a federal police officer he knew, told her about the crash and sent her video, and also sent pictures of the crime scene to a friend, joking that he was hoping to get out of the fine.
He called the Fitzroy police station between 10pm and 11pm on Wednesday, and was asked to come to the station. He allegedly said ‘‘he just couldn’t’’.
Pusey attended Spencer Street police station in West Melbourne with his lawyer about 9.40am on Thursday, bringing with him a mobile phone which he told police was the device he had used at the scene.
‘‘Inquiries revealed he had in fact intentionally given police the wrong phone which had been wiped to factory settings,’’ Detective Senior Constable Price told the court.
A search warrant was conducted at his home on Thursday afternoon and an iphone 11, which police believe Pusey used to film the scene, was discovered.
Pusey’s lawyer Vincent Peters said his client was on medication for mental health issues.
The driver of the truck that ploughed into the officers suffered a medical episode following the crash, blacked out and remains in hospital under police guard.
Pusey did not apply for bail and was remanded until his next court appearance on July 16. – Nine