Police weigh up further charges against accused Haines attacker

Follow along with our live coverage of the attack on Helen Haines here.

Police are not ruling out laying further serious charges against the man accused of deliberately mowing down federal MP Helen Haines as detectives continue to examine possible motives and potential connections to the sovereign citizen conspiracy movement.

Brendan Nugent appeared in Wangaratta Magistrates’ Court in Victoria’s north-east on Wednesday, staring vacantly ahead as he was remanded behind bars without applying for bail.

Defence lawyer Chirag Patel said his client suffered from a rare neurological condition and was recovering from concussion. But he told the court Nugent was not on medication or withdrawing from drugs or alcohol.

Magistrate Allison Vaughan ordered that Nugent be seen by a mental health professional as he began his first-ever stint behind bars.

He is charged with dangerous driving causing serious injury, intentionally causing serious injury and causing harm to a Commonwealth public official.

Charge sheets released by the court soon after the hearing reveal that Nugent has also been charged with cultivating and possessing cannabis at his property in Tarrawingee, near Wangaratta.

Speaking to the media in Melbourne, Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Mike Bush said detectives were still working to understand the “deliberate” attack and if Nugent had any personal contact with Haines or had been waiting for her outside her Wangaratta office.

“We’re checking all records, both of Helen’s, ours, and others,” Bush said. “And we are not ruling out further serious charges.”

Nugent had been on the radar of local police as his health and behaviour became increasingly concerning to residents. Officers were called out to his house multiple times when neighbours heard shouting and ranting in the middle of the night.

But Bush and Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett said police had not had any intelligence to suggest the 43-year-old was a threat to the public.

Bush said there were no known links between Nugent and the sovereign citizen movement, but “that’s obviously something we’re exploring. We haven’t had any direct evidence of that. [But] we’re examining social media associations, talking to witnesses, friends and colleagues.”

Outside court in Wangaratta on Wednesday, a supporter of Nugent unexpectedly fronted the press, voicing concern about a “trial by media” against her former art student.

The woman, who identified herself as Jacqui, said she did not condone what happened to Haines but had come to court to make contact with Nugent as she was concerned for his mental health.

“I feel that the story is probably bigger than what the media have been portraying …” she said.

Jacqui said she did not know Nugent well and had not spoken to him recently, but she remembered him as a good kid when she taught him at primary school. She feared he had been marginalised for a long time with health issues.

Also at court was a former neighbour of Nugent’s who stared at the accused during the brief hearing.

On Wednesday, Haines remained in a critical but stable condition in hospital. She has lost one leg, with doctors fighting to save the other.

In Wangaratta, witnesses said Haines had been conscious and speaking with rescuers during the incident.

“Helen was conscious the whole time. In a time of crisis, she was really empathetic. I didn’t hear her swear once,” Cody Lepoidevin, manager of a camping store opposite Haines’ office, said.

“For her to stay calm, and say thank you so much for your help, you beautiful people. I couldn’t commend her more highly. She’s honestly a genuine, lovely, caring and even an empathetic person, when it was her life on the line.”

A floral tribute to Haines continued to grow outside her office.

Bush acknowledged the heroic and fast intervention of bystanders to help the independent MP and to restrain Nugent.

He also acknowledged Haines for her own strong support of her local community following the murder of two police officers by Dezi Freeman in nearby Porepunkah last year.

“She gave wonderful support to the police, and I know that my colleagues there absolutely appreciate what she did and continues to do for them,” Bush said.

He said the force would streamline surveillance of threats against state MPs ahead of the November election in Victoria, creating a one-stop shop for reporting as concerns grow about unrest on the campaign trail.

Barrett said police were battling a record wave of threats against MPs around the country, as personal grievances, online conspiracies, mental health vulnerabilities and extremist ideologies collided more. New specialist units set up to combat growing threats such as neo-Nazis were charging almost one person a week for targeting a federal MP or high office holder, she said.

“I hope that this terrible event that will forever change the life of the member for Indi and her family gives our country time to pause and reflect on the growing threats,” Barrett said.

Asked if police would like to see more mental health help in Victoria’s high country – now the scene of two violent attacks on public officials in just over a year – Bush said: “I absolutely think there is more that the system can do to prevent people that are unwell causing harm.”

Nugent is to appear before court again in February.

With Cameron Houston

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