Richard Pusey learns fate over disturbing dead cop pictures

The Porsche driver who sent disturbing images of dead police officers as part of an insurance claim complaint has learnt their fate.

The infamous Porsche driver who filmed the aftermath of a truck crash that killed four police officers in Melbourne has been found guilty of publishing those disturbing images in an insurance claim complaint.

Richard Pusey had uploaded four graphic images of the April 2020 Eastern Freeway crash in a complaint to the Australian Financial Complaints Authority.

Pusey had been pulled over by police for speeding when a truck veered into the emergency lane and fatally hit the four officers.

The 44-year-old was found guilty in Sunshine Magistrates Court on Monday of one count of using a carriage service in an offensive manner and one count of breaching bail by reoffending.

Pusey sent the graphic images – some of which showed the severely injured officers – to the authority after his insurance claim on his Porsche was denied by their insurance broker.

Richard Pusey uploaded four graphic images of the April 2020 Eastern Freeway crash. Picture: Ian Currie

The former mortgage broker, who remains in custody, had tried to seek a compensation claim of $2.2m in what they thought was a “fair and reasonable outcome”.

Pusey wrote to the authority to complain that the “c--ts won’t pay out” their claim.

The court was told that one of the images attached to the complaint was of an officer lying in a pool of blood, while another image showed an officer dead on the roof of Pusey’s car.

In her judgment on Monday, magistrate Michelle Mykytowycz said she found beyond a reasonable doubt Pusey had used the carriage service to send the disturbing photos attached to the claim and knew that anyone seeing the images would be disturbed by their contents.

The court was told the staff member who received the complaint was “repulsed and physically ill” by the images.

Ms Mykytowycz said while it could not be established whether the supplied images were taken by Pusey or from the internet, it was clear beyond a reasonable doubt that Pusey had submitted them using a carriage service.

“I do not hesitate beyond reasonable doubt that a reasonable person would find the images as to likely cause significant anger … and disgust,” she said.

“Once seen, these images cannot be unseen.

“The use of them to accompany (the complaint) … are nothing more than gratuitous in my view and denies the dignity each police officer deserves while executing their duty as police officers.”

Ms Mykytowycz said the claim details in the complaint matched those specifically in the claim filed by Pusey.

A court has found Pusey did not write a one-star review about the Porsche Centre Melbourne.

Ms Mykytowycz also found Pusey not guilty on Monday of writing an online Google review of a car dealership and in doing so breaching their bail conditions.

It was alleged a Google review had used a graphic image of the fatal crash in a profile picture attached to a complaint about the car dealership and claimed to be written by Pusey.

Pusey was found not guilty of writing the review after Ms Mykytowycz could not find beyond a reasonable doubt that they were responsible for its creation.

Ms Mykytowycz said while the graphic profile image was unacceptable, there was no evidence to prove the Google review was connected to any Google account created by Pusey.

“I do accept that the image uploaded as the profile picture posted was graphic in nature showing one of the deceased officers lying in a place where they died,” she said.

Pusey was found guilty of sending images of dead police officers via a carriage service. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Nicki Connolly

“Once again, the circumstances of the officer’s death and the officer’s injuries suffered were plain to see.

“The use of the image as a profile picture to accompany a Google review was groundless and unwarranted and again belies the dignity the police officer deserved having died whilst exercising their duty as a police officer.

“I do not hesitate to find that a reasonable person would regard the graphic nature of the image and the unjustified and baseless uploading of his image as a profile picture to a Google review as offensive having regard to the standards of morality, decency and propriety generally accepted by adults in the community.

“In other words, I do not hesitate to find beyond reasonable doubt that a reasonable person would find the image and its use in this manner as likely to arouse significant anger and significant resentment, outrage and disgust in all of the circumstances.”

Pusey was self-represented throughout the hearing.

Originally published as Richard Pusey learns fate over disturbing dead cop pictures