Brendan Nugent charged after MP Dr Helen Haines loses leg in alleged 4×4 assault
Brendan Nugent, 43, is alleged to have driven his Toyota Land Cruiser at independent MP Dr Helen Haines in Wangaratta, Australia, in what police believe was a targeted attack
Flowers have piled up outside Helen Haines’ office as a city is left in shock(Image: Getty)
The ‘activist’ accused of ‘ramming’ an Australian MP with a 4×4 against another car, causing her to lose a leg, has been pictured leaving court for the first time. Brendan Nugent, 43, is alleged to have driven his Toyota Land Cruiser at independent MP Dr Helen Haines in Wangaratta, a small city in rural Australia, at 3:35pm on Monday, October 19.
Reports indicate that 65 year old Dr Haines has lost a leg and is fighting to save the other, after being trapped between the Toyota and a parked vehicle outside her office.
Eyewitnesses cited by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and other officials claim the suspect initially drove past Haines as she stood at the boot of her parked car, before turning around and driving back to strike her. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke revealed the driver then reversed and hit Haines a second time.
Brendan Nugent pictured outside his first court appearance on Wednesday(Image: Getty)
The suspect was overpowered by a group of bystanders, one of whom retrieved a knife from the driver’s pocket, while others rushed to the aid of the stricken MP who remained trapped between the two vehicles.
Officers believe the incident was ‘targeted’. Nugent, from Tarrawingee near Wangaratta, was charged on Tuesday with intentionally causing serious injury, dangerous driving causing serious injury and causing harm to a federal official, with police indicating further charges could follow, reports the Express.
Nugent appeared in court for the first time on Wednesday. At Wangaratta Magistrates’ Court, barely a minute’s stroll from where the incident took place, he neither sought bail nor entered a plea, according to Australian Associated Press.
The BBC reported he remained expressionless and stayed silent throughout the brief hearing in a crowded courtroom. He will be held in custody until his next court date in February.
During a press conference on the same day, Victoria Police Commissioner Mike Bush informed journalists in Melbourne that Nugent was not deemed ‘an immediate threat’. A statement released by the Nugent family revealed Dr Haines had been a family friend ‘for more than 20 years and what happened to her yesterday is devastating and unfathomable’.
The case continues to captivate Australia, a nation without a track record of violence targeting politicians.
