On a Monday afternoon in the Victorian city of Wangaratta, an ordinary working day was broken when an independent member of parliament, Helen Haines, was struck by a vehicle outside her office. She is 65, and though she remains in critical but stable condition, she has reportedly lost a leg. The man accused, a 43-year-old local man whose family had known her for two decades, now sits in a police interview room, and the reason behind such an act has not yet surfaced. What remains is a community trying to hold together the shock of violence and the older bonds of friendship that had seemed to pr
Family of Man Accused in Helen Haines Attack Say They Are Longtime Friends of the Australian MP
Helen Haines, 65, is in critical condition in hospital and has reportedly lost a leg after being struck by a vehicle.
A barber ran out, found the car still running, and pulled the driver free
Mark
The family of the accused says they've known Haines for twenty years. That's an unusual detail.
Mimi
It is. Rod Nugent and Christine Cunningham didn't distance themselves from her. They thanked the people who helped her and called her much loved in the community.
Mark
And the barber, Ricky Jefferies, ended up in the middle of it.
Mimi
His shop is next door. He heard a bang, ran out, and found the car still running with a man sitting in front of it. He pulled the driver out and threw away a knife he took from the man's pocket.
Mark
So what do we know about why this happened?
Luke
Very little. Police haven't stated a motive. The only hint is The Age citing a single unnamed source who says Nugent drifted into darker things after his forest logging protest days. That's one source's characterisation, not a finding.
Mark
And the account of the attack itself, the U-turn and the two strikes?
Luke
That comes from Tony Burke relaying what witnesses described. It's secondhand and not yet tested by police or a court.
Mimi
Haines' condition is the other uncertainty. She's critical but stable, and the loss of a leg is reported, not officially confirmed.
Luke
Right. Also, Nugent is described as the accused and a suspect. Nothing in this reporting says he has been charged or has said anything to police.
Le Pouls
- A vehicle drove into a public MP outside her office, and witnesses describe a second deliberate impact after reversing.
- A barber sprinted from next door, pulled the driver from behind the wheel, and took a knife from his pocket, turning a crisis into a rescue.
- The accused's family, friends of Haines for over twenty years, are struggling to reconcile the man they know with the alleged attack.
- Police are questioning Nugent, have appealed for witnesses, and have not confirmed any motive, leaving the trajectory open.
On a Monday afternoon in the Victorian city of Wangaratta, an ordinary working day was broken when an independent member of parliament, Helen Haines, was struck by a vehicle outside her office. She is 65, and though she remains in critical but stable condition, she has reportedly lost a leg. The man accused, a 43-year-old local man whose family had known her for two decades, now sits in a police interview room, and the reason behind such an act has not yet surfaced. What remains is a community trying to hold together the shock of violence and the older bonds of friendship that had seemed to protect it.
On Monday afternoon, outside her office in Wangaratta, Victoria, Australian MP Helen Haines was struck by a Toyota LandCruiser. She is 65. By Tuesday she was in critical but stable condition in a Melbourne hospital, and she has reportedly lost a leg.
The man accused of driving is Brendan Nugent, 43, an environmental campaigner from nearby Tarrawingee. Bystanders held him at the scene until police arrived, and he was being questioned on Tuesday morning. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke, relaying witness accounts, described a U-turn into the car park, a ramming against a vehicle, and a second attempt after reversing.
Among the first to reach the scene was Ricky Jefferies, a barber whose shop adjoins Haines' office. He heard a loud bang, ran out, and found the driver still in the car with the engine running and a man standing in front of the moving vehicle. He pulled the driver out, took a knife from his pocket, and threw it away. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called him a hero.
The suspect's family has spoken with a grief that surprised many. Rod Nugent and his partner Christine Cunningham said they had been friends with Haines for more than twenty years, called the alleged attack devastating and unfathomable, and described her as deeply respected and much loved. Their thoughts, they said, were with her family and friends.
Why it happened remains unknown. The Age cited an unnamed source saying Nugent had drifted into darker territory since his days protesting logging in the local forest, but police have not set out a motive. Acting Superintendent Ashley Mason has appealed for witnesses, directly or through Crimestoppers. What comes next is the outcome of the interview, any charges, and further word on Haines' recovery.
On Monday afternoon, outside her office in the Victorian city of Wangaratta, Australian MP Helen Haines was struck by a Toyota LandCruiser. She is 65. By Tuesday she remained in critical but stable condition in a Melbourne hospital, and she has reportedly lost a leg.
The man accused of driving the vehicle is Brendan Nugent, 43, an environmental campaigner from nearby Tarrawingee. Bystanders detained him at the scene, and police arrested him there. Officers were understood to be questioning him on Tuesday morning.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke relayed what witnesses have described. In his account, the driver made a U-turn to enter the car park, rammed Haines against a vehicle, then reversed and did it a second time.
One of the people who reached the scene first was Ricky Jefferies, a barber whose shop is next to Haines' office. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called him a hero, and local police chiefs thanked him for pulling the driver out from behind the wheel. Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Jefferies said he heard a loud bang and ran out the front to see what was happening. The driver was still in the car with the engine running, he said, and a man was sitting in front of the moving vehicle. He felt he had no choice but to take the driver out of the car, as the right and safest thing to do. He added that he took a knife out of the man's pocket and threw it away.
The suspect's family has since spoken publicly, and what they said added an unexpected detail. Nugent's father, Rod Nugent, and his partner, Christine Cunningham, said they have been friends with Haines for more than 20 years. They called the alleged attack devastating and unfathomable. They thanked the local community and the police who came to Haines' aid, and described her as a deeply respected, valued and much loved member of the community. Their thoughts, they said, were with Haines, her family and her friends.
Why it happened is not yet known. The Age, the Melbourne outlet, cited a source saying Nugent had moved into darker territory since the days when he protested logging in the local forest. That is one unnamed source's characterisation, and police have not set out a motive.
Victoria Police Acting Superintendent Ashley Mason has appealed for witnesses to come forward, either directly to police or anonymously through Crimestoppers. What to watch next is the outcome of the interview with Nugent, any charges that follow, and further word on Haines' condition.
Citations marquantes
Helen Haines is a deeply respected, valued and much loved member of our local community.— Rod Nugent and Christine Cunningham, family of the suspect
The driver did a U-turn into the car park, rammed Helen against a vehicle, then reversed and did it a second time, as witnesses described it.— Tony Burke, Home Affairs Minister (paraphrased)
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