Archive shows Brendan Nugent challenging police two years before MP collision
Footage from a 2022 police confrontation shows Brendan Nugent telling officers they would have to shoot or kill him, before they used capsicum spray and a Taser. He was not charged over that incident; he is now accused of driving into independent MP Helen Haines, leaving her critically injured.
Haines, 65, underwent emergency surgery and lost both legs; her condition has since improved to serious but stable. Nugent, 43, faces charges including dangerous driving causing serious harm, is in custody and is due back in court in February. Police are continuing to investigate the circumstances, while Haines’s staff hope to reopen offices in Wangaratta and Wodonga.
In short
- 2022 footage shows Nugent challenging police to shoot him.
- He is accused of driving into Helen Haines.
- Haines lost both legs and is now stable.
Explained simply
Helen Haines is an independent member of Australia’s federal parliament, representing the rural seat of Indi in north-east Victoria. Wangaratta and Wodonga are among the towns in her electorate, where her offices help local residents contact her team.
Brendan Nugent is a 43-year-old man accused of driving into Haines and causing her serious injuries; he has been charged and is in custody while the case proceeds through court. The reported 2022 confrontation involved police using capsicum spray and a Taser, but Nugent was not charged over that incident.
The case matters because it concerns the safety of an elected representative and the work of her local offices. The circumstances are still under police investigation, and the charges against Nugent have yet to be resolved in court.
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Originally published by Daily Mail as “Footage emerges of alleged Helen Haines attacker telling police ‘you’re going to have to shoot me’ in 2022 confrontation”.