source : the age
Helen Haines’ alleged attacker Brendan Nugent has been charged with three offences as the independent MP continues to fight for her life in hospital following an “intentional attack” on Monday afternoon.
Nugent, 43, was charged with dangerous driving causing injury, intentionally causing injury and a Commonwealth offence of causing harm to a Commonwealth public official on Tuesday evening. Police allege the incident was targeted.
Haines, 65, was struck multiple times by a white Toyota LandCruiser on October 19 outside her office in Wangaratta, north-east Victoria about 3.35pm.
The independent MP for Indi was returning to her electorate office after attending a sod-turning event in a nearby town when she was struck.
She was retrieving items from the boot of her car on Murphy Street when witnesses saw a LandCruiser performing a sharp U-turn and rammed Haines against her own orange vehicle. The LandCrusier then reversed and rammed her again.
In what the prime minister has labelled a heroic act, barbershop owner Ricky Jefferies intervened by running to the driver’s side of the vehicle before wrestling the driver to the ground and waiting for authorities.
“I don’t think I’m a hero. I was a person who had an opportunity to intervene in a safe-ish sort of way,” Jefferies said outside his shop on Tuesday morning. “I’m humbled, and I’m grateful and blessed to have been there to help.”
Haines lost one leg and remains in a critical condition at Melbourne’s Alfred hospital on Tuesday. Surgeons are trying to save her other leg.
Nugent was arrested by police at the scene of the crash after locals performed a citizen’s arrest.
He will be held overnight to appear at Wangaratta Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday.
Nugent’s sprawling Tarrawingee property is a short drive from central Wangaratta and was cordoned off by police on Tuesday.
Police visited the property in the last three months as those around Nugent became concerned about his erratic behaviour.
Last month Nugent was involved in a road rage incident near Wangaratta, where he allegedly threatened a woman with a hammer. The matter was reported to police, but no charges have been laid with the matter still under investigation, a police source said.
As counter-terrorism police and ASIO continue to probe possible motives over what they say appears to be a targeted attack on Haines, a picture is emerging of Nugent from locals.
Nugent has a history of activism in the area, but sources who knew him claim he had changed dramatically since his days protesting logging in the local forest, and some had become increasingly concerned about his mental health.
His family released a statement which expressed they were devastated by what happened to their “friend of more than 20 years” Haines.
His father Rod Nugent and partner Christine Cunningham, a health executive, said on Tuesday: “We will be assisting Victoria Police in any way we can.”
“We would like to sincerely thank members of the local community and police who came to Helen’s aid yesterday after the shocking and horrific crime,” they said.
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