Former colleagues stunned as brendan nugent named driver apprehended over alleged attack on helen haines

Nugent identified after arrest

Guardian Australia confirmed that Brendan Nugent, 43, has been named as the alleged attacker of Helen Haines. Police allege the Tarrawingee man drove a Toyota LandCruiser and was arrested at the scene in Wangaratta.

Nugent has a master’s degree in forest ecosystems science from the University of Melbourne. He spent years researching Victoria’s forestry industry and was also a registered business owner in Wangaratta.

Former campaign group reacts

Nugent served on the committee of the Save our Strathbogie Forest Group, which opposes logging in the region. He became inactive around 2019-20. The group’s chairman, Bertrant Lobert, said Nugent had initially seemed “a reasonable and thoughtful person”. Lobert said the news was shocking, while stressing that the allegations had not yet been established.

Community ties and past praise

Lobert said many members of the group knew Haines personally and were her friends. He described the alleged targeting of public figures as a tragedy affecting their wider community.