Police have charged a second man over an alleged arson at a two-storey home on Ullapool Road in Mount Pleasant. The 43-year-old was arrested in Willetton on Saturday, October 24, and charged with criminal damage by fire. Police also laid drug and unlawful weapon possession charges after a search of the residence. He is the second person charged over the alleged blaze, after Matthew Manfredi-Tarpey was arrested hours after the fire on Wednesday. Red graffiti on the driveway read: pay your debt dog.
The condition of Indi MP Helen Haines has improved from critical to serious but stable, the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne said on Saturday. Ms Haines was struck by a vehicle outside her electorate office in Wangaratta on Monday. Police allege the incident was a deliberate attack by 43-year-old Brendan Nugent, who faces multiple charges. Ms Haines lost both legs, and her husband Phil Haines said he was grateful her heart and mind were in good shape. Save the Children Australia said more than $1 million had been donated in her honour.
Brendan Nugent, 43, has been charged over an alleged deliberate attack on independent MP Helen Haines outside her Wangaratta office. Police have not ruled out further charges, including attempted murder. Haines remains in a critical but stable condition after emergency surgery. In court, Nugent's lawyer said he has a neurological condition and raised concerns about his mental health. Nugent was remanded in custody, and federal police say establishing a motive is the investigation's first priority.
AU Now app
Your suburb’s news, alerts and Shorts — in one app
Alerts, Shorts and your saved stories — free on Google Play.
Four men have been charged by police over alleged livestock crimes in Mullin Creek. Officers began investigating in December after two cross-bred ewes were killed and three lambs stolen from a property. Five search warrants were executed across Sydney and Little Hartley, with police seizing firearms, ammunition, phones and electronic devices. All four men were bailed and are due to appear in court in late November or early December.
Independent MP Helen Haines has had a second leg amputated and is alive and stable, her husband Phil Haines says. He described her road to recovery as long and difficult, but said she is a fighter. Hospital staff say she remains in critical condition. A man has been charged over an alleged attack on her. Police say the motive is still not known. The Wangaratta mayor said the community is in collective shock and sadness.
Independent MP Helen Haines remains in critical condition after a violent attack that resulted in the loss of one leg. The alleged assailant, 43-year-old Brendan Nugent, has been remanded in custody until February. Victorian police have charged Nugent with three offences and are considering additional charges. The incident occurred outside Haines' electoral office in Melbourne. Nugent is accused of using a vehicle to strike the MP.
Independent MP Helen Haines remains in critical condition after a violent attack that resulted in the loss of one leg. The alleged assailant, 43-year-old Brendan Nugent, has been remanded in custody until February. Victorian police have charged Nugent with three offences and are considering additional charges. The incident occurred outside Haines' electoral office in Melbourne. Nugent is accused of using a vehicle to strike the MP.
Brendan Nugent, 43, has been charged over an alleged deliberate attack on independent MP Helen Haines outside her Wangaratta office. Police have not ruled out further charges, including attempted murder. Haines remains in a critical but stable condition after emergency surgery. In court, Nugent's lawyer said he has a neurological condition and raised concerns about his mental health. Nugent was remanded in custody, and federal police say establishing a motive is the investigation's first priority.
Independent federal MP Helen Haines remains in critical condition after a car struck her outside her Wangaratta office on Monday. Sources say she has lost one leg and doctors were trying to save the other. Brendan Nugent, 43, has been charged with dangerous driving causing serious injury, intentionally causing serious injury and causing harm to a Commonwealth public official. He is due to appear in Wangaratta Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday. Police are working to establish a motive, including whether the attack was politically motivated.
Two Beenleigh teenagers have been charged with 18 offences after police tracked two allegedly stolen BMWs into Logan. Police say a red BMW 220i was taken from a home in Indooroopilly, and a black BMW X5 was taken from a Middle Park property later that night. Officers located the black BMW in Slacks Creek and arrested two boys, aged 16 and 17, at Bethania. Each boy faces nine charges, including unlawful use of motor vehicles and attempted break-ins. Both are due in children's court in October. Police are appealing for information about the missing red BMW.
South Australian Health Minister Blair Boyer says a search of SA Health records found no data on a woman or baby boy linked to a death at the Tollgate Motel in Glen Osmond. Police allege the boy was aged six to seven months and had been dead for some time. The boy's mother, 42-year-old Yue Ning Lieu, and father, Benjamin Nicholas Houghton, have been charged with criminal neglect and concealing human remains. They were remanded in custody until May 2027. Police investigations are ongoing, and the government has not confirmed where the baby was born.
An 18-year-old man has been refused bail after allegedly taking part in a violent home invasion in Armidale. Police say a group of intruders armed with knives forced their way into a home on Hunt Avenue in early October and demanded car keys. A woman in her 40s was allegedly assaulted with a baseball bat and suffered head and arm injuries. Police arrested the teenager at a unit on Marshall Avenue on 15 October. He was charged with several offences, including aggravated break and enter, and is due back in Armidale Local Court in December. Police investigations are continuing.
Police have charged a man and a woman after a baby's body was found in a motel room in Glen Osmond, Adelaide. Benjamin Nicholas Houghton, 40, and Yue Ning Lieu, 42, face charges of criminal neglect and concealing human remains. Mr Houghton also faces a charge of hindering police. Officers found the baby covered in blankets after a welfare check prompted by neighbours. A post-mortem examination estimated the boy was six to seven months old and had been dead for several weeks. Neither has been granted bail.
The parents of a baby boy found dead at an Adelaide motel have been charged with criminal neglect and concealing human remains, police say. Benjamin Nicholas Houghton, 40, and Yue Ning Lieu, 42, were arrested and detained under the Mental Health Act before being charged. Police say the baby was about six to seven months old and had been dead for some time. The pair were remanded in custody until a court hearing in May next year.
Six people have been charged with a total of 59 offences following a three-month police investigation into alleged drug trafficking across Toowoomba. The inquiry, Operation Starcourt, began when police stopped a van on the Gore Highway at Southbrook on 10 October. Police allege the vehicle held cocaine, MDMA, more than $9,000 in cash and seven mobile phones. Two men were arrested at the scene and remanded in custody, with court dates set for 26 November. Four more people have been charged after further inquiries and are due in court between 2 and 24 November.
AU Now app
Your suburb’s news, alerts and Shorts — in one app
Alerts, Shorts and your saved stories — free on Google Play.
The parents of a baby boy found dead at an Adelaide motel have been charged with criminal neglect and concealing human remains, police say. Benjamin Nicholas Houghton, 40, and Yue Ning Lieu, 42, were arrested and detained under the Mental Health Act before being charged. Police say the baby was about six to seven months old and had been dead for some time. The pair were remanded in custody until a court hearing in May next year.
Police have charged four young women after locating a stolen white Audi Q5 at a Gladys Street address in Kelso, Townsville, on Saturday, 10 October. The car had been reported stolen from a McKinley Street address in North Ward earlier that morning. Several people ran from officers on foot, and four were later charged. The charges include unlawful use of a motor vehicle, enter dwelling and commit, wilful damage, stealing and possessing stolen property. The accused are due to appear in Townsville Magistrates Court or Townsville Childrens Court in October and November.
A 22-year-old man has been charged with multiple offences after a stolen Ford Ranger ute was allegedly driven dangerously on the Bruce Highway at Bloomsbury, Mackay, on 10 October. Police allege the vehicle was driven on the wrong side of the road and struck several cars before police stopped it. No injuries were reported. The man faces charges including stealing, obstructing police, and dangerous operation of a vehicle. Police are asking anyone with relevant information or dashcam footage to contact them.
