Mum of CBD rampage accused says he was reaching out for help
The mother of a man who is accused of driving through Melbourne’s CBD on a rampage inspired by mass murderer James Gargasoulous says her son is not capable of the Bourke St killer’s shocking crimes.
Police & Courts
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The mother of a driver who terrorised the CBD in a car rampage inspired by Bourke St mass murderer James Gargasoulous says her son is not a killer.
Blayze Pemberton-Burden, 26, was locked up over Wednesday’s chilling episode that brought part of the city to a standstill.
On Friday his mother, Lesley Pemberton-Burden, told the Herald Sun her son was not capable of Gargasoulous’ shocking crimes.
“My son would not kill anybody,” she said. “I think he was reaching out for help.”
Mr Pemberton-Burden went on a bizarre Twitter rant in the minutes before his dramatic CBD arrest.
He wrote: “I dare someone to stop me” and “you’re running out of time. Do you want this to happen on not?” at 1.45pm, about the same time he did a burnout and ran a red light near pedestrians at the intersection of Flinders and Swanston streets.
Minutes later he wrote: “You will be blamed if you let this go ahead” before stating he had burnt out his clutch.
A day earlier he was arrested for trespassing at his workplace, Fire Protection Association Australia, while on suspension.
He was employed as an IT consultant at the Blackburn North firm six months earlier but was recently banned from visiting during a period of mental deterioration.
He recently sent employees a barrage of emails claiming he was the Messiah and above the law, a court heard.
The suspension had rattled him, his mum said.
“When he was working, he was fine,” she said. “Then this whole thing came up with people there (at his work) and it sort of went from bad to worse.”
He was taken to hospital for a mental health assessment but later released.
On the same day, he wrote on Twitter: “Wow! What an entrance. Caught on CCTV and everything.”
He also wrote: “Interesting day. Spat in the face of the CEO and the board … basically got arrested for it. They had to call back up as well” and “not tweeting from a cell or anything”.
“Can’t f---ing lock me up. I’ll break every rule in the book and then tear it up and burn it.
“I’ll make Tiananmen Square look like child’s play. I’ll make the Holocaust look like a walk in the park.”
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Ms Pemberton-Burden said she was “mystified” by her son’s actions and the first she saw of it was on the TV news.
“He needs to be alone, to do his own thing and to get sorted out,” she said.
Mr Pemberton-Burden was charged with five offences including reckless conduct endangering life and dangerous driving.
He was remanded to reappear in court on February 14.