Helen Haines’ alleged attacker to face court today – as the MP fights for life in hospital

Brendan Nugent, 43, will appear in Wangaratta Magistrates Court for the first time on Wednesday over the alleged attack on MP Helen Haines.

The Tarrawingee man has been in police custody since the alleged incident on Monday afternoon.

Nugent was formally interviewed on Tuesday and was later charged with dangerous driving causing serious injury, intentionally cause serious injury, and causing harm to a Commonwealth public official.

The final is a federal offence.

‘Police will allege the incident was targeted,’ a Victoria Police statement on Tuesday night.

The man accused of hitting Helen Haines with his car could face more charges, Victoria Police say.

‘While I say this investigation is far from complete, we are not ruling out further serious charges,’ the Victoria Police chief commissioner Mike Bush said.

‘I want to further add that we have deployed a number of staff into Wangaratta to give assurance to members of the public. We do believe this was a deliberate but isolated act.’

“It’s been publicised – some sort of to and fro on social media,” Commissioner Bush said.

“But at this point, we don’t understand there’s any direct personal contact previously.

“But, we’re not ruling that out either.”

‘Motivation is one of these things that we absolutely need to explore. His motivation for this — what we allege is a deliberate attack — is very much a centrepiece of the investigation,’ Victoria Police commissioner Mike Bush said.

‘Our people will continue to explore every element, angle and avenue to work that out.

‘I cannot give that information in terms of motivation. It’s something that, when we work towards it, discover it, we will present in court.’

Victoria Police commissioner Mike Bush said the incident was shocking.

‘Absolutely shocking for Helen, her family, the community – not just because she’s a very well–respected person – not just because she’s a member of parliament. She is a member of the community,’ he told a press conference on Tuesday morning.

‘Everyone deserves to be protected from acts like this. People should not be out there causing serious harm to others.

‘Everyone in Victoria Police comes to work to prevent those kind of actions from occurring. So, that’s why our thoughts are absolutely with her, and we come to work every day to prevent such events.’

Federal MP Helen Haines remains in a critical but stable condition in Melbourne’s The Alfred Hospital on Wednesday morning.

She has lost one leg, as surgeons try to save the other leg.

Another condition update is expected later today.

Haines (pictured) was airlifted to The Alfred Hospital after being hit by a 4WD outside her office in Wangaratta on Monday afternoon.

Haines’ husband Phil, daughter Georgia and sons Nick and Will were seen briefly emerging from the hospital on Tuesday afternoon, where they have been at her bedside since the alleged attack.

Calls from security officials and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to turn down the political temperature following the alleged attack on MP Helen Haines is not as easy as it seems, a counter terrorism expert has warned.

‘In the immediate aftermath of this attack, we’ve already seen online some pretty extreme statements, a lot of a lot of blaming and a lot of binary hostile world views,’ Josh Roose (pictured) told the Today show on Wednesday.

‘We’re talking about tens of thousands of individuals out there speaking incredibly violent and explicit terms, often threatening directly our politicians, our public leaders and officials.

‘And this is obviously deeply problematic because for counter-terrorism investigators, you’re looking to find a needle in a haystack. ‘There is so much online hostility that it’s almost impossible to predict which of those individuals would be would be involved in a potential attack.’

The man accused of deliberately running down Helen Haines in his four-wheel-drive lived among piles of discarded booze bottles and rubbish in an overgrown shack fit for snakes.

Brendan Nugent, 43, was arrested outside the independent northern Victorian MP’s office on Murphy St in Wangaratta on Monday after allegedly ramming the 65-year-old against another vehicle twice as she retrieved items from her car boot.

On Tuesday, the Daily Mail visited the cesspit block Nugent called home on the outskirts of Tarrawingee, north-east Victoria.

It is a township of little more than 400 people, with most appearing from the outside to live among well maintained households.

The community is so small it does not even have a general store, with a coffee van parking just down the road from Nugent’s ramshackle premises for a couple of hours a day before moving on.

Just around the corner from the unkempt property there is an historic country pub located at the gateway to Victoria’s High Country called the Plough Inn.

The immaculate white building wouldn’t appear out of place in the exclusive leafy inner-Melbourne suburb of Toorak, a world away from the quiet, remote hamlet where it sits.

But, not far away, hidden off the road next door to a clearly house-proud neighbour, lies the once-dirty secret of this close-knit community.

Federal parliamentarians will be briefed by security officials on Wednesday following the alleged attack on Helen Haines.

The Home Affairs Department, AFP, and ASIO will address MPs and senators amid fears of further violence

Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Mike Bush and AFP Commissioner Krissy Barrett are expected to hold a joint press conference on Wednesday following a meeting with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese yesterday (pictured).

The Victorian government is also reviewing security arrangements ahead of next month’s state election.