Arabic version: تقييم في السجن لا يجد مؤشرات تطرف لدى نوجنت
According to ABC News, an initial prison assessment of Brendan Nugent found no indication of extremism or links to political groups or ideologies. Police allege Nugent deliberately rammed federal MP Helen Haines outside her Wangaratta electorate office last Monday afternoon. The assessment, conducted in the days after his arrest, said he held delusions of being persecuted and was most likely in a state of psychosis.
A source with knowledge of the evaluation said Nugent had a “significant mental health disorder”, with schizophrenia being considered as a possible diagnosis. The source said social media posts referring to Israel, Gaza, climate change, the Kremlin and Jeffrey Epstein were more likely signs of paranoia and deteriorating mental health. The assessment did not rule out that Nugent may have held a grievance, the source said.
Haines was retrieving items from a car boot when she was struck by Nugent’s LandCruiser, the ABC reported. She suffered life-threatening injuries, was flown to The Alfred hospital in Melbourne and had both legs amputated. She is in a stable condition and has woken from an induced coma. Investigators will allege Nugent’s actions were deliberate.
Nugent has been charged with dangerous driving causing serious injury, intentionally causing serious injury and causing harm to a Commonwealth public official. Victoria Police has taken charge of the investigation and prosecution, while detectives have not ruled out further charges. Nugent is continuing to be assessed in custody and is next due to appear in court in February.
The ABC reported that Nugent had previously been assessed in inpatient mental health units for possible schizophrenia, recurrent cannabis-induced psychotic disorder or persecutory delusional disorder, but was never formally diagnosed. Experts are also expected to examine his head injuries, chronic pain, drug use and mental health. At a previous court hearing, it was stated that he suffered from idiopathic transverse myelitis, a neurological condition affecting the spinal cord.
