Mental health concerns raised as accused Helen Haines attacker faces court

The man charged over inflicting critical injuries to Indi Independent federal MP Helen Haines has been remanded in custody until February next year after appearing in Wangaratta Magistrates' Court on Wednesday morning. Brendan Nugent, 43, from Tarrawingee, appeared in the custody dock wearing a grey sweatshirt flanked by custody officers for a short file hearing and made no application for bail. In court defence counsel Chirag Patel said there were mental health concerns for his client, who suffered from a neurological condition idiopathic transverse myelitis. Mr Patel said Nugent was also suffering from concussion. He told the court, which was overflowing with media just after 10am, that this was his client's first time in custody and he was not withdrawing from any substances. REMANDED IN CUSTODY: Brendan Nugent remains in custody, set to appear again at Wangaratta Magistrates' Court on 4 February. Magistrate Allison Vaughan remanded Nugent in custody to appear for a committal mention on 4 February, back at the Wangaratta Magistrates’ Court. "I have asked that a medical professional see you immediately," she said. Nugent is facing charges of dangerous driving causing serious injury, intentionally cause serious injury and the Commonwealth offence of causing harm to a Commonwealth public official. Charge sheets show Nugent is also charged with cultivating a cannabis plant and cannabis possession following a search of his Great Alpine Road property on Tuesday. Detectives from Victoria Police's Security Investigation Unit laid the charges on Tuesday over what police allege was a "targeted" incident, with the defendant allegedly driving his Toyota Landcruiser into Dr Haines while she was at the rear of her vehicle parked outside her Wangaratta electorate office in Murphy Street around 3.30pm on Monday. Nugent was detained by bystanders, and arrested by police about 3:40pm, while members of the public and first responders came to Dr Haines’ aid. She was conveyed to hospital with critical injuries and remains in a critical but stable condition in The Alfred Hospital.

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