Eastern Freeway tragedy truck driver blames witch for crash
A truck driver who killed four police officers when his truck veered into the emergency lane on the Eastern Freeway in Kew has made a bizarre claim in his defence, saying he was trying to avoid hitting a “witch”.
Police & Courts
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A truck driver who killed four police officers after swerving across several lanes of the Eastern Freeway at Kew has said he was trying to avoid hitting a “witch”.
The bizarre claim was made by Mohinder Singh, 47, after he was asked why he veered across into the emergency lane where police had stopped Porsche driver Richard Pusey.
The Cranbourne father of two is mentally unwell and is believed to be suffering from an undiagnosed psychiatric condition. If a mental disorder is proven, he could use it as a defence in court.
Private funerals were held for Leading Senior Constable Lynette Taylor, Senior Constable Kevin King, Constable Glen Humphis and Constable Josh Prestney in the past week.
They were put in the truck’s deadly path after Mr Pusey was intercepted at 149kmh on the freeway on April 22.
The officers were standing in the emergency lane when Mr Singh’s refrigerated truck ploughed into them.
On Tuesday officers raided properties in Sydney linked to Connect Logistics, the company Mr Singh was working for at the time of the crash.
The search warrants were carried out at two homes in Kenthurst and a business in Riverstone, both in western Sydney.
It is believed log books were seized but no one was arrested.
It followed searches in Melbourne on Saturday of premises in Croydon and Frankston linked to the same trucking company.
Mr Singh suffered a medical episode that caused him to black out after the crash.
Two ice pipes were allegedly found in his truck cabin and home but police have not revealed his blood test results.
Mr Singh spent four nights at the Royal Melbourne Hospital where he was too unwell to be interviewed by police.
It is understood Mr Singh is in the Acute Assessment Unit at Melbourne Assessment Prison.
A prison source said Mr Singh was unwell and was receiving psychiatric care.
“He is an unwell man. He reported that he’d sighted a witch while he was driving and veered into the emergency lane,” the source said.
Mr Singh has suffered panic attacks and anxiety since the crash and is “genuinely saddened and sorry” for what happened.
His lawyer, Steve Pica, last week said “the impact upon their families, friends and work colleagues is also not lost upon him”.
Mr Singh was charged with four counts of culpable driving causing death and will return to court in October.
His family has held its silence since the crash and did not attend his initial court hearing.
Mr Pusey had a clear hatred of police before the crash and has been heard calling them “dogs” in prison.
He avoided injury in the collision because he had stepped away from officers to urinate on the side of the freeway, a court was told.
After the crash he allegedly grabbed his phone from inside his mangled Porsche and filmed himself taunting Senior Constable Taylor as she gasped for help.
A court heard he said “There you go. Amazing, absolutely amazing” as he filmed her pinned beneath the wreckage.
He allegedly went on to say “All I wanted was to go home and have my sushi and now you’ve “f---ed my f---ing car,” before fleeing the scene.
Mr Pusey was arrested in Collingwood the next day after reportedly showing the gruesome crash scene footage to staff at Chemist Warehouse.
He is facing a string of charges including reckless conduct endangering life, leaving the scene of an accident and destroying evidence, and will reappear in court on July 16.
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