Man filmed dying police officer and did nothing to help, court hears

Police describe Mr Pusey’s actions as ‘abhorrent’

Richard Pusey is accused, among other charges, of failing to render assistance to dying police officers on 22 April, 2020. (EPA/MICHAEL DODGE AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND OUT)

A man filmed a dying police officer and did nothing to help after a vehicle collision that also left three of her colleagues dead, an Australian court has heard.

Richard Pusey, 41, stands accused of recording two videos in which he filmed dying Leading Senior Constable Lynette Taylor and taunted her in a “highly derogatory manner”.

The incident is alleged to have taken place after a truck collided with her and three other Victoria Police officers — Senior Constable Kevin King, Constable Glen Humphris and Josh Prestney — on the side of a Melbourne motorway last month.

The four officers died after they had stopped Mr Pusey, a mortgage broker, for allegedly reaching speeds of 149 km/h (92.6 m/hour) in his Porsche. They truck hit the officers on the side of the road during the traffic stop.

Taylor’s body-camera captured Mr Pusey saying: “All I wanted was to go home and have my sushi and now you’ve f***ed up my f***ing car.”

Detective Senior Constable Aaron Price told Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Monday: “There is certainly evidence to say one of the officers was alive (during filming).”

“He filmed in a calm matter. There’s no evidence of shock in his comments,” he added.

The police, who described his actions as “abhorrent”, have brought three new charges against Mr Pusey, including one count relating to drug offences and two others of perverting the course of justice.

Mr Pusey also faces other charges including failure to render assistance and destruction of evidence, after he allegedly handed over a phone to the police that had been restored to its factory settings.

Police also added that he had previously boasted to a friend about his speeding by text message, saying: “I did 300” and “apparently (vehicle) will do 350km/h”.

His lawyer said his client was “not proud” of the filming the footage.

A decision on whether he will be granted bail will be made on Thursday.