Australian MP loses both legs in vehicle attack as suspect appears in court

Independent lawmaker Helen Haines is in stable condition, her husband says, as suspect charged with three offences.

Independent MP for Indi, Helen Haines, asks a question in Australian Parliament, in Canberra, October 9, 2025 [Hilary Wardhaugh/Getty Images]

Australian independent lawmaker Helen Haines has had both of her legs amputated after being rammed by a car outside her electoral office, her husband said, as the suspected attacker appeared in court.

Doctors amputated the MP’s left leg after an attacker hit her twice with his car in Wangaratta, northeast of Melbourne, on Monday, Phil Haines said. They tried to save her right leg but failed to do so, he told a news conference on Wednesday.

list 1 of 3 Australian MP Helen Haines critically injured in ‘deliberate’ car ramming

list 2 of 3 ‘Deliberate’ car ramming of Australian MP an isolated incident, police say

list 3 of 3 Australian MP Helen Haines remains in critical condition after car attack

“The good news in all this is Helen is alive, and she’s stable,” he told reporters. “That is the most important thing for our family.”

The suspect in the attack, revealed to be a 43-year-old man called Brendan Nugent, made a brief court appearance on Wednesday.

He has been charged with three crimes: dangerous driving causing serious injury, intentionally causing injury and causing harm to a public official.

He was also charged with the cultivation and possession of cannabis, according to court filings.

The suspect’s lawyer said he has a rare neurological condition called idiopathic transverse myelitis and is also recovering from a concussion, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported.

Police are still investigating the motive for the attack. Australia’s federal police commissioner Krissy Barrett said there was no intelligence suggesting any threat to Haines.

“What I can ⁠say is we didn’t have any specific intelligence that would have indicated something as atrocious as happened on Monday afternoon,” she told reporters.

Haines had worked in nursing, midwifery and academia ‌before being elected to parliament in 2019 for the rural seat of Indi, which she retained in 2022 and 2025.

Attacks on politicians are rare in Australia, but concerns have been growing in recent years as online abuse and threats against elected officials have risen.

独立议员海伦·海恩斯目前情况稳定，她的丈夫表示，她被指控犯有三项罪行。

2025年10月9日，印第选区独立议员海伦·海恩斯在堪培拉的澳大利亚议会提出问题。[希拉里·沃德豪/盖蒂图片社]

据其丈夫透露，澳大利亚独立议员海伦·海恩斯在竞选办公室外被汽车撞倒，双腿已被截肢。与此同时，涉嫌袭击者出庭受审。

菲尔·海恩斯表示，周一，在墨尔本东北部的旺加拉塔，一名袭击者驾车两次撞击这位议员，医生不得不截去她的左腿。他在周三的新闻发布会上说，他们曾试图保住她的右腿，但未能成功。

名单1/3：澳大利亚议员海伦·海恩斯在“蓄意”驾车冲撞事件中身受重伤

警方称，澳大利亚议员遭“蓄意”驾车撞击事件为孤立事件（共3起，此为第2起）。

澳大利亚议员海伦·海恩斯在汽车袭击事件后仍处于危急状态（共3条记录，此为第3条）

“好消息是海伦还活着，而且情况稳定，”他告诉记者。“这对我们家来说是最重要的。”

袭击案嫌疑人被证实是一名 43 岁的男子，名叫布伦丹·纽金特，他于周三短暂出庭。

他被指控犯有三项罪行：危险驾驶致人重伤、故意伤人以及伤害公职人员。

根据法庭文件，他还被指控种植和持有大麻。

据澳大利亚广播公司报道，嫌疑人的律师称，他患有一种罕见的神经系统疾病，称为特发性横贯性脊髓炎，并且还在从脑震荡中恢复。

警方仍在调查袭击动机。澳大利亚联邦警察局长克里西·巴雷特表示，没有情报显示海恩斯受到任何威胁。

“我可以肯定地说，我们没有任何具体的情报表明周一下午会发生如此骇人听闻的事情，”她告诉记者。

海恩斯曾在护理、助产和学术界工作，之后于 2019 年当选为印度农村选区的议员，并在 2022 年和 2025 年连任。

在澳大利亚，针对政治人物的攻击事件虽然罕见，但近年来，随着针对民选官员的网络辱骂和威胁事件的增加，人们的担忧也日益加剧。