Eastern Freeway tragedy: Killer truck driver begs for ‘sympathy’ and ‘mercy’
A Melbourne truckie who mowed down four police officers has begged for sympathy as he faces up to two decades in prison for the shocking crime.
A drugged-up truckie who was “actively psychotic” when he fatally mowed down four police officers should be treated with “sympathy”, a court has been told.
Mohinder Singh faced the second day of his pre-sentence hearing in the Supreme Court of Victoria on Friday.
The 48-year-old pleaded guilty to four counts of culpable driving causing the deaths of Leading Senior Constable Lynette Taylor, Senior Constable Kevin King, Constable Glen Humphris and Constable Josh Prestney.
The group were on the side of the road after pulling over Porsche driver Richard Pusey for allegedly speeding when the truck driver ploughed into them on the Eastern Freeway at Kew in April 2020.
His lawyer Peter Morrissey SC told the court his client had lived a productive life before the offending and was facing a long stint in jail.
“He is quite an engaging character, worthy of some interest and some sympathy because, despite the difficulties that he’s faced in his life, he’s lived a rather productive life,” he told the court.
While he acknowledged it was his client’s decision to get behind the wheel, he said Singh was remorseful, had pleaded guilty at an early stage and was willing to help police.
“There is a basis to mix justice with mercy and clemency,” Mr Morrissey said.
Before the fatal crash, Singh had met with his boss for a 44-minute-long “prayer ritual” before he signed a fitness-to-drive form and hopped in his truck for a single delivery.
He was due to deliver frozen chickens to another business when he drove into the officers.
“What my client seems uncontroversially to have been hearing is: ‘I want you to drive, you are now healed, now take those chickens to Thomastown’,” Mr Morrissey told the court.
In a text messages on the morning of the tragedy, Singh raised concerns with his boss that he wasn’t fit to drive on the day and they spoke at the Lyndhurst depot that afternoon.
Mr Morrissey said it was a “pitiable feature” that Singh’s boss “leaned on him to drive” but acknowledged he had not disclosed his drug use.
Justice Paul Coghlan pointed out it was a “catch-22” for Singh.
“If he’d actually revealed that he was under the influence of drugs and had been for many days, he wouldn’t have been allowed to drive,” Justice Coghlan said.
The judge said the boss who encouraged him to do one more trip did so with “one hand tied behind his back”. His manager Simiona Tuteru is charged with four counts of manslaughter.
Mr Morrissey told the court his client was “very sorry” and was “instantly shattered” by what he did.
At the scene, body-worn footage from other police officers captured the driver’s apology, he told the court.
“I feel so sorry for the police officers. That’s what happened. I wasn’t fit for work,” Singh said after the crash on body-worn footage.
“I’ve got nothing against any police officer or anything like that; it was the worst possible accident.”
Mr Morrissey said his client was not fit to be interviewed at the time and was “instantly shattered” by what happened.
“He was actively psychotic at the time of the offending with the delusional belief he had been cursed,” Mr Morrissey said.
On Thursday, the court was told Cranbourne driver had only slept five hours in the 72 hours before the crash and was drifting across lanes on the freeway.
A sleep expert made an estimation the level of impairment due to lack of rest was close to a driver who was six times the drink-driving limit, or a blood-alcohol reading of 0.3.
Grieving families of the officers gave heart-wrenching testimony about their loss.
Senior Constable Kevin King’s partner Sharron MacKenzie said she had lost her soulmate and it was a “gut-wrenching pain” to lose him.
“I felt I could die of a broken heart,” she said.
Todd Robinson, the partner of Constable Humphris, addressed Singh directly.
“Mohinder … you took the most important person away from me in the most violent way,” he said.
He said now seeing a truck on the road was a constant reminder of his partner’s “tragic and violent death”.
The parents of Constable Joshua Prestney revealed their pain in court and his father Andrew remembers the moment he heard about the crash on the news.
“Time ticks. What’s going on? Confusion. A sense of dread. Starting to worry now. Time ticks. Nah, it can’t possibly be Josh. He’s only just starting at highway patrol.”
Picture: Victoria Police
He ran out of their home when a police car arrived at their neighbour’s home and an inspector stepped out and told him, “Andrew, I am so sorry.”
“I fall to the footpath and scream, ‘No, not my boy,’” he told the court.
His wife Belinda said she was left with two images of her son Josh burnt in her mind: the first of him as a baby in his crib; the second of him lying in his casket.
The husband of Leading Senior Constable Lynette Taylor, Stuart Schulze, said the last words his wife spoke to him were “I love you”.
He said their life together was a “long, warm summer” and they were moving into their “long, warm autumn”.
“I now have moved towards a long, cold autumn. My sons and I will always have her in our hearts and will always miss her terribly,” she said.
Singh will remain in custody until he is sentenced on April 14.