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

Independent lawmaker Helen Haines is in stable condition, her husband said, as a suspect charged with three offenses.

Australian independent MP Helen Haines had both legs amputated after being hit by a car outside her election office, her husband said, as the alleged 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 his right leg, but were unsuccessful, he said at a news conference Wednesday.

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

The suspect in the attack, who was revealed to be a 43-year-old man called Brendan Nugent, appeared briefly in court on Wednesday.

He was charged with three felonies: dangerous driving causing serious injury, intentionally causing injury and injuring a public official.

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

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

Police are still investigating the motive for the attack. Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett said there was no intelligence to suggest a threat to Haines.

“What I can say is that we had no specific intelligence that would have indicated something as atrocious as what happened 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 grown in recent years as online abuse and threats against elected officials have increased.