Arabic version: الشرطة تؤكد ارتباط بلاغ إصابة كلب بالمتهم بالاعتداء على هينز
According to ABC News, Victoria Police are aware of an incident in which a dog was allegedly injured after being run over by a vehicle on a Tarrawingee property in September 2020. Police said the matter was reported on October 22, 2026.
The vehicle owner, Tarrawingee man Brendan Nugent, has been charged after Federal Independent Member for Indi Helen Haines was struck by a Toyota LandCruiser outside her Wangaratta electorate office on October 19. Police have confirmed that Mr Nugent was allegedly involved in the earlier dog incident.
The dog’s owner told 774 ABC Melbourne that their female blue heeler was hit and suffered injuries requiring the amputation of its front leg. The owner said they had experienced problems with Mr Nugent over several years and had previously raised concerns about his behaviour with police. They later told the ABC that the dog is doing well.
Ms Haines was retrieving items from the boot of her car about 3:40pm when she was struck. She suffered life-threatening injuries, was flown to The Alfred hospital in Melbourne, and surgeons amputated both her legs. She remains in a stable condition and has woken from an induced coma. Mr Nugent faces charges including dangerous driving causing serious injury, intentionally causing serious injury, causing harm to a Commonwealth public official, cultivating cannabis and possessing cannabis.
