A man suspected of ramming his car into Australian lawmaker Helen Haines remained silent as he made his first appearance in court on Wednesday.
Brendan Nugent, 43, faces three charges over the alleged attack on the Independent MP, as police consider bringing additional charges against him.
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police → suspect → him
Ms Haines, 65, was forced to undergo amputation surgery overnight after the alleged attack on Monday, and remains in a critical condition.
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Haines → force → condition
She was struck with a Toyota Land Cruiser SUV outside her electoral district office in Wangaratta in Victoria, in what prime minister Anthony Albanese described as a deliberate attack.
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Albanese → strike → attack
The prime minister said on Wednesday that he had spoken to Ms Haines’s husband, who is due to provide an update on her condition at 5pm.
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who → say → 5
“It’s up to the family to make further statements when and if they think that’s appropriate,” he said.
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he → ’ → statements
Mr Nugent appeared at the Wangaratta Magistrates Court on Wednesday after being charged with three offences, including dangerous driving causing serious injury, intentionally causing serious injury and a federal offence of causing harm to a Commonwealth public official.
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Nugent → appear → official
Additional charges of cannabis cultivation and possession have also been laid against Mr Nugent, the court filings showed.
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filings → lay → Nugent
During his brief court appearance, Mr Nugent looked downcast in a grey jumpsuit, appeared emotionless, staring blankly across the room.
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Nugent → look → room
His lawyer, Chirag Patel, informed the court that the 43-year-old suffers from a rare neurological condition called idiopathic transverse myelitis – a form of spinal inflammation that has no identifiable underlying cause.
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that → inform → cause
According to Mayo Clinic, it is characterised by motor issues, sensory changes, as well as autonomic dysfunction.
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it → accord → issues
Mr Nugent was also being treated for concussion, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported, quoting his lawyer.
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Corporation → treat → lawyer
He was not on any prescribed medication.
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He → prescribe → medication
Mr Nugent lived in squalid conditions, with pictures showing dozens of empty bottles as well as unkempt grass outside his home’s front, reported News.com.au.
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Nugent → live → front
His lawyer told the magistrate his client had some mental health concerns and that it was his first time in custody.
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it → tell → custody
He did not apply for bail, with the case deferred until the next hearing on 4 February.
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case → apply → February
Magistrate Allison Vaughan asked that he be seen by a mental health professional in the meantime.
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he → ask → meantime
Anti-terrorism police are among the agencies investigating the incident as police allege the attack was "targeted", adding that they believe it was an isolated incident.
“There was nothing known to us that would have arisen, or piqued our interest, or given any indication that [Mr Nugent] was an immediate threat,” said Victoria police’s chief commissioner Mike Bush.
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commissioner → investigate → indication
There was no intelligence to suggest any threat to Ms Haines, and the Australian Federal Police received no warning of any imminent danger from the alleged attacker, commissioner Krissy Barrett told reporters.
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Barrett → be → reporters
She was asked whether there were social media posts on his account which included references to conspiracy theories or radicalisation.
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which → ask → theories
"What I can say is we didn't have any specific intelligence that would have indicated something as atrocious as happened on Monday afternoon,” she said.
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she → say → afternoon
He was, however, on the radar of the local police as his health and behaviour became concerning for neighbours.
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health → become → neighbours
Police were called to his home repeatedly as neighbours heard shouting or ranting in the middle of the night, reported the Sydney Morning Herald.
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Herald → call → night
Earlier on Tuesday, Mr Nugent’s family issued a statement saying they were devastated by the attack on Ms Haines and described her as their “close friend of more than 20 years”.
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they → issue → years
They vowed to assist Victoria police, adding: “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.”
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who → vow → crime
Mr Bush said investigators were still looking into whether there was a personal connection between Ms Haines and Mr Nugent.
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investigators → say → Haines
“At this point, we don't understand there's any direct personal contact previously.
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we → understand → point
But we're not ruling that out either."
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we → rule → that
The Aporia
