Porsche driver Richard Pusey to be free in a week
Families of the four police officers killed in last year’s Eastern Freeway crash have condemned Richard Pusey’s sentence.
Disgraced Porsche driver Richard Pusey has been sentenced to 10 months in jail over his “heartless, cruel and disgraceful” conduct at last year’s Eastern Freeway crash in which four police officers were killed.
The 42-year-old mortgage broker has already served 296 days behind bars, however, which means he could be released as soon as next week.
Judge Trevor Wraight on Tuesday sentenced Pusey to eight months for reckless conduct endangering serious injury and three months for the rare charge of conduct outraging public decency, with two months to be served cumulatively.
Pusey has been placed on an adjourned undertaking for two years for drug possession with conditions including psychiatric treatment.
Judge Wraight also fined Pusey $1000 and disqualified him from driving for two years for speeding.
Relatives of the police officers condemned the sentence as “totally inappropriate” to the offence.
Stuart Schulze, the husband of Leading Senior Constable Lynette Taylor, said the sentence set too low a benchmark in relation to Pusey’s conduct in filming the aftermath.
“The pain is almost unbearable,” he said.
Police Association Victoria secretary Wayne Gatt said Pusey was a “worthless individual that lacks any human traits that would be and should be and is a feature of the Victorian community at large”.
In sentencing Pusey at the County Court, Judge Wraight described Pusey’s “insensitive” behaviour at the scene of the crash as he recorded four police officers who had been crushed at the accident scene.
“That’s f..king justice,” Pusey said at one point as he walked around filming the police officers who were hit by drugged truck driver Mohinder Singh when he swerved into the emergency lane of the freeway on April 22, 2020.
Justice Wraight said Pusey zoomed in on the officers’ injuries and continued filming as bystanders tried to help the victims and cover the bodies.
“I think everyone got cleaned up,” Pusey said in his first video.
“There’s four people, four people. Look at that.”
The millionaire mortgage broker had been pulled over for speeding in his 911 Porsche but was urinating off the side of the road when Singh swerved into the emergency lane, killing Leading Senior Constable Taylor, Senior Constable Kevin King, Constable Glen Humphris and Constable Josh Prestney.
“Look at that man, you f..king c..ts. You c..ts, I guess I’ll be getting a f..king Uber home, huh” Pusey said on the video.
He caught a lift away from the accident scene.
Judge Wraight said Pusey showed the video to three people and sent photos to two others but did not upload anything to social media.
When questioned by police the next day, Pusey said he was ashamed of the video and had said “not nice” things but it shouldn’t be seen “as being derogatory and horrible”.
Judge Wraight said Pusey’s behaviour might be described as “bizarre” compared to the “normal human reaction” of trying to help the officers.
“It can also be described as extremely insensitive and heartless. Your focus was entirely on yourself,” Judge Wraight said.
More Coverage
Grant for ‘endangered’ languages
The Albanese government has announced $11m in grants for 26 First Nations language projects in more than 40 communities. Some of the languages are “highly endangered” and spoken by none to fewer than 10 elderly speakers.
Waiting game leaves millions on tenterhooks
Cyclone Alfred confounded forecasters and frustrated just about everyone else by backing off, then powering on. The calm before the storm is wearing thin on anxious communities.