Deleted posts reveal Brendan Nugent’s mental health spiral as police consider more serious charges

Updated October 21, 2026 — 6:22pm,first published 2:31pm

A trail of deleted social media posts from the man accused of attacking Helen Haines reveals years of serious psychological struggle as police warn of a dangerous link between extreme ideology and “mental health vulnerabilities”.

Brendan Nugent, 43, spoke of living with chronic pain as well as suicidal ideation and stays in psychiatric facilities.

The posts coincided with what those who knew him say was a dramatic shift from the quiet, intelligent environmentalist they once knew. A University of Melbourne colleague singled out Nugent in the acknowledgments of a 2019 forestry research paper, thanking him for his field assistance and “continued curiosity”.

By May 2022, Nugent was posting that he was “left to sit in pain 24/7”. “I have a masters degree, H1 average, still can[not] get the basic assistance,” he wrote. “I need to work. Tried many times. Disability pension not enough to manage it so I’m constantly broke spending on health, NDIS is unavailable.”

Months later, Nugent shared a post in which he expressed suicidal ideation. “The worst is the preventable, intense chronic pain in my right hip…17+ years of fixable pain 24/7.”

Nugent appeared in Wangaratta Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, staring vacantly from the dock as he was remanded behind bars without applying for bail.

Police are not ruling out laying further serious charges against Nugent as detectives continue to examine possible motives and his potential connections to the sovereign citizen conspiracy movement.

Defence lawyer Chirag Patel told the court his client suffered from a rare neurological condition, idiopathic transverse myelitis, and was recovering from concussion.

But he told the court Nugent was not on medication or withdrawing from drugs or alcohol. Magistrate Allison Vaughan ordered that Nugent be seen by a mental health professional as he began his first-ever stint behind bars.

After Monday’s alleged attack on Haines, Nugent is facing charges of dangerous driving causing serious injury, intentionally causing serious injury and a federal charge of causing harm to a Commonwealth public official.

Court documents released after Wednesday’s hearing reveal that Nugent has also been charged with cultivating and possessing cannabis at his property in Tarrawingee, near Wangaratta.

Speaking to the media in Melbourne, Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Mike Bush said detectives were still working to understand the “deliberate” attack and whether Nugent had any personal contact with Haines or had been waiting for her outside her Wangaratta office.

“We’re checking all records, both of Helen’s, ours, and others,” Bush said. “And we are not ruling out further serious charges.”

Nugent had been on the radar of local police in recent months as his health and behaviour became increasingly concerning to residents. Officers were called out to his house multiple times when neighbours heard shouting and ranting in the middle of the night. Last month, a road rage incident was reported to police in which Nugent allegedly threatened a woman with a claw hammer.

Bush and Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett said police had not had any intelligence to suggest the 43-year-old was a threat to the public.

Business owners on the street where Haines was injured, who asked not be identified, said investigators had asked them for 24 hours of security camera footage, however, intelligence briefings to federal politicians on Wednesday afternoon described the alleged attack by Nugent as “opportunistic”.

Asked if there was any sign Nugent had been part of the sovereign citizen movement, Bush said no, but “that’s obviously something we’re exploring. We haven’t had any direct evidence of that. [But] we’re examining social media associations, talking to witnesses, friends, and colleagues”.

Barrett said police were battling a record wave of threats against MPs around the country, as personal grievances, online conspiracies, “mental health vulnerabilities” and extremist ideologies collided. New specialist units set up to combat growing threats such as neo-Nazis were charging almost one person a week for targeting a federal MP or high office holder, she said.

Asked if police would like to see more mental health help in Victoria’s High Country – now the scene of two violent attacks on public officials in just over a year – Bush said: “I absolutely think there is more that the system can do to prevent people that are unwell causing harm.”

Outside court, a woman who said she had taught Nugent in primary school voiced concern that her former art student had been marginalised for a long time with health issues.

The woman, who identified herself as Jacqui, said she did not condone what happened to Haines but said she remembered him as a good kid and she was concerned for him.

Nugent’s own posts suggest he was angry at the apparent lack of support. In 2022, he wrote: “I’ve had plenty of time living with a significant disability, in a lot of chronic pain and also having to cook on a fire and wash my clothes in the river”

“There is often much more to someone’s story. If it includes disability without enough gov [sic] help and no family help etc this is a very real outcome.”

On Wednesday, Haines remained in a critical but stable condition in hospital. Her husband Phil revealed she has now lost both legs to injuries but is continuing her fight.

Bush also acknowledged Haines for her own strong support of her local community following the murder of two police officers by Dezi Freeman in nearby Porepunkah last year.

“She gave wonderful support to the police, and I know that my colleagues there absolutely appreciate what she did and continues to do for them,” Bush said.

In Wangaratta, witnesses said Haines had been conscious and speaking with rescuers during the incident.

“Helen was conscious the whole time. In a time of crisis, she was really empathetic. I didn’t hear her swear once,” Cody Lepoidevin, manager of a camping store opposite Haines’ office, said.

“For her to stay calm, and say thank you so much for your help, you beautiful people. I couldn’t commend her more highly. She’s honestly a genuine, lovely, caring and even an empathetic person, when it was her life on the line.”

Jacob Evans and Jacklyn Black were shopping at the store when they heard the crash and sprang into action.

Evans, 22, ran to his car for medical supplies and applied a tourniquet to Haines’ leg.

“I’ve always been the nerd with the first-aid kit,” Evans said on Wednesday. “Luckily, it paid off this time.”

The tourniquet, a band wrapped tightly around an arm or a leg to restrict blood flow during life-threatening haemorrhages, “had a significant impact on her,” Black, who is training to be a paramedic, said of her partner’s actions. “He did an incredible job.”

A floral tribute to Haines continues to grow outside her office.

Bush acknowledged the heroic and fast intervention of bystanders to help the independent MP and to restrain Nugent.

Premier Ben Carroll said additional security resources will be put in place for the upcoming state election.
“The [Victorian Electoral Commission], Victoria Police, and all political parties take the safety of this election very seriously,” he said.

“We are all working together to ensure the safety of all Victorians over the coming election period.”

“What has happened [to Haines] must be a turning point for political debate in Victoria and around Australia.

“We must go forward with more respect and understanding of one another.”

Bush said the force would streamline surveillance of threats against state MPs ahead of the November election in Victoria, creating a one-stop shop for reporting as concerns grow about unrest on the campaign trail.

Nugent is to appear before court again in February.

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