OMM Newsroom
The husband of Australian MP Helen Haines said her second leg has been amputated after she was struck by a car on Monday. Haines was injured outside her electorate office in Melbourne. The accused appeared in court on Wednesday.
According to AnewZ, Australian media and officials said the alleged attacker struck Haines twice with a car in Wangaratta, northeast of Melbourne. Police are investigating the motive behind the rare attack on an elected official.
Haines, an independent MP, has advocated on issues including climate change and housing in regional areas.
Court documents show that Brendan Nugent, 43, of Tarrawingee, a village in Haines’ electorate, was charged on Wednesday with three offences: dangerous driving causing serious injury, intentionally causing serious injury and injuring a public official. The documents also list additional charges of cultivating and possessing cannabis.
At a brief court hearing on Wednesday, the accused’s lawyer said he suffers from a rare neurological condition called idiopathic transverse myelitis and was also receiving treatment for concussion. The lawyer told the magistrate that his client had some mental health problems and had been held in custody for the first time, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
No application for bail was made. The next hearing in the case is scheduled for Feb. 4.
Counterterrorism police are among the agencies investigating the incident. Police have described the attack as “targeted” but believe it was carried out by a lone assailant.
Victoria Police said they had been unable to establish any prior direct connection between Haines and the accused. The motive remains unknown.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese publicly described the attack as a “violent incident” on Wednesday. He had earlier linked it to the country’s heated and polarised political debate.
“It’s a reminder that the world is a more dangerous and divided place than it was a generation ago,” Albanese told ABC radio.
Violence against politicians is rare in Australia. Federal MPs, state leaders and even prime ministers are often seen shopping, having coffee or attending community events without heavy security.
