Todd Robinson, the partner of Constable Glen Humphris, speaks to the media about his loss. Photo / News Corp Australia
Todd Robinson, the partner of Constable Glen Humphris, speaks to the media about his loss. Photo / News Corp Australia
The partner of one of the four Victoria Police officers who died in a horrific crash on the Eastern Freeway this week said he heard "nothing" for two hours before seeing the deaths confirmed on the news.
"At that moment, I got a knock on the door with five senior police officers there," Constable Glen Humphris' partner of four years, Todd Robinson, told reporters in Melbourne on Friday afternoon.
"I wasn't expecting it but I knew something wasn't right, you can sense it.
"From living with him and knowing the communication that we would have on a daily basis, that this night, something was wrong."
Mr Robinson left for work early on Wednesday morning and came home to prepare dinner for his partner who was due home at 7pm. He sent a few text messages but got no response, news.com.au reports.
Glen was with Leading Senior Constable Lynette Taylor on Wednesday night when they stopped a black Porsche and made the decision to impound the car. Highway Patrol team Senior Constable Kevin King and Constable Joshua Prestney, a fellow recent Police Academy graduate, responded.
All four of the officers were out of their vehicles when they were struck by a large, refrigerated truck and died at the scene on the Eastern Freeway in Kew.
The driver of the Porsche, Richard Pusey was uninjured and left the scene.
Pusey, 41, appeared in Melbourne Magistrates' Court yesterday facing a stack of charges including driving with speed, dangerous, reckless conduct endangering life, and failing to remain after a drug test.
He also faced charges of failing to render assistance, failing to exchange detail, possessing drug of dependence, destruction of evidence and three counts of commit indictable offence while on bail.
The court heard the mortgage broker from Fitzroy was recorded on the bodycam of a dying Leading Senior Constable Lynette Taylor.
He allegedly told her: "There you go. Amazing. Absolutely amazing. All I wanted to do was go home and have my sushi. Now you've f****ed my f***ing car."
AAP reports Constable Taylor could be heard groaning for help.
"We relied on each other for support, to go out and meet people," he said.
"Through Glen being in the police now, we were starting to branch out and meet and gain friends.
"He wore a uniform but he was a person under that uniform. He came home to someone but on that day he didn't.
"He's gone and I'm still coming to terms – that door is not going to open, he's not going to bumble in and say hello to me and grab the dog."
Mr Robinson said they would go hiking and camping together and went skydiving in January for his birthday. The couple had been planning a trip to America next year.
"No one deserves this. They put their uniform on, they don't know. And I didn't know. I was expecting him to come home," he said.
Mr Robinson said he "went and said goodbye to Glen" on Friday.
"That was really great, I had my time," he said.
"I feel I need to speak about him to make him live on."
In an obituary released late on Thursday, Victoria Police said Mr Humphris had joined the force in 2019.
"Born and raised in Gosford on the NSW Central Coast, Glen left school and became an apprentice carpenter," it reads.
"After a few years, he needed a change and became a personal trainer. Glen completed a Bachelor of Exercise and Sports Science at University of Newcastle and obtained Masters in Exercise Physiology at the University of Sydney, becoming a sports scientist and exercise physiologist.
"It was when working for Return to Work in Newcastle that Glen met his partner of four years, Todd. The pair moved to Melbourne, which is when Glen applied to join Victoria Police."
Glen was described as an academic achiever, who completed placements at South Melbourne and Melbourne East police stations before graduating in March this year. He then began his placement in the Road Policing Drug and Alcohol Section.
"Glen is being remembered as being very level-headed, caring and supportive with a great sense of humour and had the ability to make light of any situation to calm people," his police obituary reads.
"His squad mates said he genuinely wanted to help people, had a great sense of community and genuine empathy for everyone – victim and offender alike."
Yesterday, the bodies of the four officers were taken away in a coroner's van with a police escort.
They will be farewelled at four small, separate funerals, Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton confirmed on Friday.
