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.
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MP → allege → 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.
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Nugent → charge → evening
Police allege the incident was targeted.
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incident → allege → ?
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.
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Haines → strike → Wangaratta
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.
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she → return → town
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.
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LandCruiser → retrieve → vehicle
The LandCrusier then reversed and rammed her again.
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LandCrusier → reverse → her
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.
“
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Jefferies → label → authorities
I don’t think I’m a hero.
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I → think → ?
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.
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Jefferies → have → morning
“I’m humbled, and I’m grateful and blessed to have been there to help.
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I → ’m → ?
Haines lost one leg and remains in a critical condition at Melbourne’s Alfred hospital on Tuesday.
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Haines → lose → Tuesday
Surgeons are trying to save her other leg.
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Surgeons → try → leg
Nugent was arrested by police at the scene of the crash after locals performed a citizen’s arrest.
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locals → arrest → arrest
He will be held overnight to appear at Wangaratta Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday.
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He → hold → Wednesday
Nugent’s sprawling Tarrawingee property is a short drive from central Wangaratta and was cordoned off by police on Tuesday.
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property → cordone → Tuesday
Police visited the property in the last three months as those around Nugent became concerned about his erratic behaviour.
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those → visit → behaviour
Last month Nugent was involved in a road rage incident near Wangaratta, where he allegedly threatened a woman with a hammer.
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he → involve → 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.
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picture → report → 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.
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some → have → health
His family released a statement which expressed they were devastated by what happened to their “friend of more than 20 years” Haines.
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what → release → years
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.”
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we → say → way
“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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they → like → crime
Read more:
- News: Independent MP Helen Haines in critical condition after attack
- Analysis: Attack on Haines must be a turning point for Australia
-
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Attack → read → Australia
What we know: The attack on Helen Haines
- From the archives: Why Helen Haines decided to run for parliament
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Haines → know → parliament
- Women and politics: The targeted abuse women in public office face
- Deepfakes and death threats: Inside the epidemic of abuse against female MPs
Be the first to know when major news happens.
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news → target → MPs
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