Richard Pusey chilling texts to cop before dramatic stand off

Richard Pusey, the Porsche driver who filmed police officers dying, sent a number of chilling texts before a dramatic rooftop stand-off.

Richard Pusey could be let loose on Melbourne streets as early as Wednesday after admitting to a series of shocking crimes.

The millionaire mortgage broker, who became notorious for his vile filming of the Eastern Freeway crash scene where four police officers were killed, has pleaded guilty to 11 charges relating to five separate incidents.

The Melbourne Magistrates’ Court heard on Monday the most serious of Pusey’s crimes related to an assault on his wife followed by a stand-off with police as he fled to the roof of his Fitzroy home on December 27.

Pusey, 43, had sent texts to the mobile of a police sergeant declaring “I’ll kill everyone then” and “I will hang person”.

He then phoned the officer, calling him a “piece of shit”, and telling him to “come and save the world” and “why don’t you get cut in half you f--king animal”.

Police attended after reports of shouting, smashing glass and loud music coming from the home, but Pusey refused to come to the door, despite it being a condition of his bail.

Richard Pusey sent texts to the mobile of a police sergeant declaring “I’ll kill everyone then”. Picture : Ian Currie

Heavily-armed critical incident response team officers later smashed their way into the house after seeing him drag his wife up a stairwell, stopping where he had tied a noose on the rafters.

As the officers got her to safety, Pusey climbed on the roof, before being arrested.

Crime scene photos showed the noose, with a 5m drop, along with a puzzle strewn across the room, a smashed window, broken optical glasses and two boxes of nitrous oxide canisters.

Pusey also pleaded guilty to four counts of using a carriage service to menace after firing off threatening emails to a Westpac bank worker he had been dealing with regarding several credit card disputes in August 2019.

He told the man his wife and children would pay for his incompetencies, and even named the bank manager’s daughter, and that she was turning two years old that day, before writing “she’s going to save the world because she can use an iPad”.

He was also been involved in two road rage incidents, pleading guilty to criminal damage after he used a key to scratch a Royal Enfield motorcycle in Richmond in March 2019.

Pusey followed the rider after he had rode up beside his Porsche and yelled at him for almost knocking him off his bike on Hoddle St.

Pusey fled to the roof of his Fitzroy home during the police stand off. Picture: Nine News.

In October 2018, he ripped the car keys from the ignition of another car after its driver tried to claim the same carpark as him outside the QT Hotel on Russell St in the Melbourne CBD.

In December 2020, Pusey, who had been banned from the Fitzroy BWS shop after an argument with an employee, was found in the bottle shop, trying to buy a carton of beer.

When security asked him to leave, he dropped the beer, smashing it on the floor, and walked out.

His barrister Carmen Randazzo, SC, asked for Pusey to be released immediately on a sentence of four months, already served on remand.

She said her client had a “fairly lengthy history of health and mental health issues” and would be supported by his wife, and two treating forensic psychologists.

With treatment, Ms Randazzo said Pusey could remain offence free, and contribute to society.

Magistrate Hayley Bate will sentence him on Wednesday.

Pusey was this year sentenced to 10 months in jail and placed on a two-year good behaviour bond for speeding offences and filming the Eastern Freeway crash scene on April 22 last year.

Leading Senior Constable Lynette Taylor, Senior Constable Kevin King, Constable Josh Prestney and Constable Glen Humphris were all killed when drugged-up truck driver Mohinder Singh ploughed into them.

The officers were standing in the emergency lane after stopping Pusey for speeding.

He completed that sentence on April 28, having spent time already on remand, but remained behind bars pending resolution of these outstanding charges.