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AAP
AAP
National
Cassandra Morgan and Emily Woods

Porsche driver Pusey taken to court naked

A naked Richard Pusey refused to get dressed to attend a court hearing. (Daniel Pockett/AAP PHOTOS) (AAP)

Porsche driver Richard Pusey has been dragged naked from prison to face a hearing over graphic images of the Eastern Freeway crash, in which four police officers died.

Pusey, who uses they/them pronouns, refused to get dressed and attend a court hearing in Melbourne's west on Friday.

They had to be carried naked, covered in a blanket, by prison guards from their cell to the court transit vehicle, Sunshine Magistrates Court heard.

Once at the building, Pusey refused to go inside the courtroom. Two officers gave evidence under oath that Pusey wanted to be taken back to prison to appear by video link.

"I don't want to go to court, I don't want to see the magistrate, am I being recorded?" Pusey told an officer.

Pusey eventually dressed and agreed to go into the courtroom just before lunch, where they said their request to appear via video link led prison staff to throw them naked into the back of a truck.

Pusey is accused of attaching four photos from the April 2020 crash to a complaint sent to the Australian Financial Complaints Authority about a $2.2 million insurance claim in November last year.

They also allegedly left a Google review of the Porsche Centre Melbourne in February this year, with the Google profile picture showing Leading Senior Constable Lynette Taylor on the roof of their Porsche.

Pusey has pleaded not guilty to two charges of using a carriage service to cause offence, and two charges of committing an offence while on bail.

Once in court, Pusey cross-examined Sergeant Josh Parker and suggested there were still photos online from the Eastern Freeway crash that Pusey didn't take.

They questioned whether there were any photos of them at the Eastern Freeway crash scene, to which Sgt Parker said there wouldn't be as Pusey was behind the camera.

Sgt Parker said it was in the "realm of possibility" other photos and videos from the crash were still online, and acknowledged there were people at the scene aside from Pusey.

Magistrate Michelle Mykytowycz reminded Pusey they admitted in an interview to being at the scene.

Pusey questioned whether it was a crime to simply publish a photo on the internet, and pointed to a Snapchat uploaded the day after they were taken into custody.

The prosecution alleges Pusey had uploaded the images with the intent to offend people.

The four officers died when a truck crashed into them on the side of the Eastern Freeway, where they had pulled over Pusey, who escaped injury.

Pusey will return to court on December 2, when Ms Mykytowycz said she expected to hand down her decision on the case.

beyondblue 1300 22 4636

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