Richard Pusey fronts court over alleged noose attack on wife

The Porsche driver accused of filming a dying policewoman after the Eastern Freeway tragedy is back in court — this time on charges of assaulting his wife.

The Porsche driver accused of filming a dying policewoman following the Eastern Freeway tragedy has returned to court over claims heallegedly put a noose around his wife’s neck.

Richard Pusey, 42, was arrested over the alleged attack following a five-hour stand-off on the roof of his Fitzroy home on December 27.

He was on bail at the time over charges stemming from the April 22 police tragedy in which four officers were killed when a truck ploughed into them in the emergency lane after they had allegedly stopped Pusey for speeding.

Pusey sat quietly with a mask on his face as he appeared for the brief hearing in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court via videolink from prison on Tuesday.

His lawyer, Vincent Peters, and prosecutor Meagan McDonnell told the court they needed more time for further discussions to try to resolve the charges.

Richard Pusey. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

“We just need to finalise those discussions. It shouldn’t take too long,” Ms McDonnell said.

Mr Peters told the court Pusey had two other matters before the courts: an arraignment listed in the County Court on Wednesday and another at the Neigbourhood Justice Centre on April 1.

Asked by the magistrate if the arraignment was likely to end in a plea or trial being booked, Mr Peters said “instructions are fluid at the moment” but it was expected to go off to a plea hearing on March 31.

Charge sheets relating to the December 27 rampage allege Pusey unlawfully imprisoned and detained his wife against her will, threatened to kill her, and placed a noose around her neck and assaulted her.

He also allegedly sent texts and made calls that were “abusive and derogatory” between Christmas Day and December 28.

Police were called to his home after neighbours reported him ranting and raving from his rooftop.

He has remained behind bars since his arrest.

The alleged incident come after he was granted strict bail in October after six months on remand over the Eastern Freeway incident.

Leading Sen-Constable Lynette Taylor, Sen-Constable Kevin King, Constable Glen Humphris and Constable Josh Prestney were all killed.

Pusey has not been charged with being responsible for their deaths.

Instead he is charged with reckless conduct endangering life for being clocked driving at dangerous speeds and outraging public decency for his alleged actions to film the aftermath of the scene, including zooming in on the bodies of the officers.

Truck driver Mohinder Singh, 47, has pleaded guilty to four counts of culpable driving causing the deaths of the four officers and will face a pre-sentencing hearing later this week.