An Australian driver has been sentenced to 10 months in prison for filming the death of four policemen who were hit by a truck on a freeway. The judge described the act as “heartless, cruel and disgraceful.”
The 42-year-old Richard Pusey was pulled over by the police for speeding on Melbourne’s Eastern Freeway in April 2020, as he was found driving at 149kmph. The police were considering impounding his luxurious Porsche when a truck crashed into the officers, the Porsche and two police cars which were parked in an emergency stopping lane. Mr Pusey was not hit by the truck because he was urinating in the bushes at that time.
Instead of helping the policemen, Mr Pusey pulled out his phone and began filming the scene. Calling the dastardly accident ‘beautiful’, his commentary included “he’s smashed,” “justice,” “absolutely amazing.”
When a bystander rushed to the aid of the injured officers Mr. Pusey dissed him saying, “They’re dead,” and continued filming.
“I think everyone got cleaned up. I guess I’ll be getting a … Uber home, huh.” Pusey remarked in the video.
Citing personality disorder as the reason for his behavior, Mr Pusey has been sentenced to 10 months in prison. However, as he has already spent 296 days in prison during the trial, his sentence will beover after a few days. But he is expected to remain in jail for some other unrelated cases against him.
He also pleaded guilty for possessing ecstasy and tested positive for that drug and cannabis after he was pulled over. Apart from imprisonment, he has been fined 1,000 Australian dollars and barred from driving for two years.
However, the families of the victim are not satisfied at the verdict. Stuart Schulze, husband of Lynette Taylor, one of the officers killed in the accident, described the sentence as “too lenient” and “totally inappropriate.”
Two weeks ago, Mohinder Singh, the driver of the truck who killed the four officers, was sentenced to 22 years in prison. He had been under the influence of drugs and was sleep-deprived when he rammed into the officers on the freeway. He has been found guilty to four counts of culpable driving causing death, three charges of drug trafficking and one of possessing illicit drugs.
