The Porsche driver accused of filming a dying police woman is “manipulative” and a danger to the public because he likes to drive fast in flashy cars, a Melbourne court has been told.
Mortgage broker Richard Pusey has been ordered to stand trial in relation to a horror crash that left four police officers dead on Melbourne’s Eastern Freeway on April 22.
The 42-year-old is fighting to be released on bail but Melbourne Magistrates Court heard on Wednesday that police are opposed because of fears he could intimidate witnesses and be a risk to the community.
“He’s a manipulative and controlling man. When he clashes with people, he resorts to all sorts of tactics,” Detective Senior Constable Aaron Price told the court.
These included harassment and verbal intimidation, he said.
Even if bail conditions prohibited him from driving Det Sen Constable Price said he was concerned he would not abide by the condition because he “picks and chooses” what laws to follow.
“The accused does have a tendency to enjoy driving fast in what I would describe as flashy cars.”
But barrister Dermot Dann QC argued his client had offered to adhere to “very, very stringent” conditions including regular urine screens for drug analysis, that he would not drive and that he would engage in treatment and medication for his significant personality disorder.
Keeping him in custody under the current custody conditions is “bordering on inhumane”, Mr Dann said.
The driver also faced a lengthy delay with a trial date potentially in late 2022.
Mr Pusey pleaded not guilty to four of the most serious charges against him including reckless conduct endangering life and outraging public decency.
His lawyers had previously tried to argue the outraging public decency charge did not exist in Australia and dated back 400 years to England.
“The question is does it exist in Australia and this state,” Mr Dann previously argued at a hearing in August.
But on Wednesday Magistrate Donna Bakos ruled that the charge should stay.
However four other charges against Mr Pusey were thrown out including fail to render assistance, destruction of evidence and two counts of attempting to pervert the course of justice.
The businessman is accused of recording the shock freeway scene on his mobile instead of helping Constable Taylor as she lay dying on the road.
“Now you’ve f. cked my f. king car,” he allegedly said at the time.
Other less serious charges were transferred to the County Court including drug driving, offensive behaviour and possession of anti-speed measuring device.
Prosecutors withdrew a charge of committing an indictable offence while on bail was withdrawn and in total he faces 11 other offences.
Truck driver Mohinder Singh accused of fatally running down the officers who were standing on the side of the freeway and is facing 37 charges including four counts of culpable driving causing death.
The bail decision for Mr Pusey will be handed down on Friday.
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2020-10-14 04:52:30Z
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