Victoria Police have formally charged 43-year-old Brendan Nugent following the deliberate vehicle attack that left independent MP Helen Haines with life-altering injuries on Monday.
Detectives confirmed this evening that Mr. Nugent, a resident of Tarrawingee, faces three serious charges: dangerous driving causing serious injury and intentionally causing serious injury. Furthermore, he has been charged with the federal offence of causing harm to a Commonwealth public official, a crime that carries a maximum penalty of 10 years’ imprisonment.
The charges follow a harrowing incident outside Ms. Haines’s electorate office in Wangaratta, where the 65-year-old MP was pinned between two vehicles. Emergency services rushed the member for Indi to the scene before she was airlifted to The Alfred hospital in Melbourne in a critical condition. Medical professionals are currently fighting to save one of her legs, though it has been confirmed she has already lost the other due to the severity of the trauma.
Victoria Police have stated they will allege the attack was targeted. Officers conducted a search of Mr. Nugent’s property, located roughly 15 kilometres east of Wangaratta, on Tuesday as part of their ongoing investigation.
In a remarkable turn of events, the family of the accused has expressed their profound distress regarding the incident. In a statement released shortly after the charges were laid, Mr. Nugent’s father, Rod, and his partner, Christine Cunningham, described the event as “devastating and unfathomable.”
The family revealed a long-standing personal connection to the victim, noting that Ms. Haines had been a friend of theirs for more than two decades.
“Helen Haines is a deeply respected, valued and much loved member of our local community,” the statement read. “All of our love and all of our thoughts are with Helen and her family and friends. 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.”
The family concluded by pledging their full cooperation with the ongoing police investigation.
Ms. Haines, a former nurse who has represented the federal seat of Indi since 2019, has been met with an outpouring of support from political colleagues and constituents alike. The attack has sent shockwaves through the north-east Victorian community, which has rallied behind the popular parliamentarian as she begins a long and arduous recovery process.
Mr. Nugent is scheduled to appear in the Wangaratta Magistrates’ Court tomorrow to face the charges.
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