Key facts
- Lawmaker Helen Haines lost a leg after being hit by a car.
- Brendan Nugent faces charges of dangerous driving, intentionally causing serious injury, and harming a public official.
- Nugent was denied bail and will remain in custody until February 4.
- Police have no intelligence suggesting Nugent was an immediate threat.
- Federal MPs are receiving additional safety briefings due to rising threats.
Brendan Nugent, 43, was denied bail and will remain in custody after allegedly ramming his car into independent lawmaker Helen Haines. The incident, which occurred outside Haines' electoral office in Wangaratta, resulted in her losing a leg, with doctors working to save her other limb. Nugent faces charges including dangerous driving causing serious injury, intentionally causing serious injury, and a federal offense of causing harm to a commonwealth public official. Magistrate Allison Vaughan noted Nugent's mental health and neurological concerns and ordered an immediate mental health assessment. Police stated they had no prior intelligence indicating Nugent posed an immediate threat, despite acknowledging a 'growing volume of online abuse, threatening rhetoric, and intimidation' directed at federal MPs.