Delusions and possible psychosis explored in Haines accused's prison assessment

An early prison assessment of the man who police allege deliberately rammed federal MP Helen Haines has found no indication of extremism.

The initial evaluation of Brendan Nugent says he held delusions of being persecuted and was most likely in a state of psychosis.

Mr Nugent is continuing to be assessed in custody before his next court appearance, due in February.

A prison assessment of the man who police allege deliberately rammed federal MP Helen Haines has found no indication of extremism or links to political groups or ideologies.

The ABC can reveal an initial evaluation of Brendan Nugent, taken in the days after he was arrested, said he held delusions of being persecuted and was most likely in a state of psychosis. It is understood Mr Nugent continues to be assessed.

Prisoners who enter the Victorian correctional system routinely undergo health and welfare evaluations to inform how they are housed in custody.

A source with knowledge of Mr Nugent's assessment said it also indicated he had a "significant mental health disorder". It is understood schizophrenia is currently being considered as one of the possible diagnoses.

"So far nothing is indicating extremism," the source said.

"There's no group, no ideology, no intention."

They said that "conspiratorial" social media posts unearthed in the days after the alleged attack — referring to Israel, Gaza, climate change, the Kremlin and notorious paedophile Jeffrey Epstein — were more likely a symptom of paranoia and his mental health deteriorating.

"Persecutory beliefs are the most common kind of delusion, and they often latch onto whatever in the news. So you see Ukraine and the CIA turning up alongside fears about his own safety."

The source said the assessment did not rule out that Mr Nugent had a grievance.

"She'd been a friend of his family for more than 20 years, and she was his local member. That's not a random choice. When paranoia takes hold, it usually pulls in the people around you."

Mr Nugent has been withdrawing from alcohol and cannabis since being in custody.

Ms Haines was retrieving things from the boot of a car outside her Wangaratta electorate office when she was struck by Mr Nugent's LandCruiser last Monday afternoon.

In the hours after the incident, Home Affairs minister Tony Burke referred to witness accounts of Mr Nugent performing a U-turn before allegedly ramming the MP twice.

Ms Haines suffered life-threatening injuries and was flown to The Alfred hospital in Melbourne where surgeons amputated both her legs. She is currently in a stable condition and has woken from an induced coma.

The incident was initially being jointly investigated by Victoria Police and the Australian Federal Police who charged Mr Nugent with dangerous driving causing serious injury, intentionally causing serious injury and causing harm to a Commonwealth public official.

Investigators will allege his actions were deliberate.

Law enforcement sources said Victoria Police had now taken charge of the investigation and would be responsible for prosecuting the case. Chief Commissioner Mike Bush last week said detectives had not ruled out more charges.

It can now be revealed that during stints at inpatient mental health units, staff investigated whether Mr Nugent was suffering from schizophrenia, recurrent cannabis-induced psychotic disorder or persecutory delusional disorder but he was never formally diagnosed.

The ABC understands there was not enough information to make a diagnosis because of the way Mr Nugent engaged with mental health teams after he was discharged and during follow-ups.

"He'd been in and out of psychiatric units and lived with constant pain. Back in 2022 he was posting that he couldn't get NDIS support. Each service saw a piece of him and nobody held the whole picture," the source said.

Last week, the Wangaratta Magistrates' Court was told Mr Nugent suffered from idiopathic transverse myelitis, a neurological condition that affects the spinal cord and can cause pain, paralysis, numbness and tingling.

"This is a man who didn't have access to adequate healthcare, he wasn't able to live his life without pain," the source said.

Mr Nugent has deep links to Wangaratta, in Victoria's north-east, where he went to high school.

He was a talented footballer who suffered multiple concussions and it is understood his mental health declined in his late 20s. For a period, he was homeless and during that time was assaulted.

The ABC understands experts plan to probe Mr Nugent's head injuries, chronic pain, drug abuse and mental health. The neurodegenerative disease, CTE, is also an avenue of enquiry.

Mr Nugent is believed to have started using cannabis when he was a teenager.

A long-time friend of Mr Nugent told the ABC the accused man had used medicinal cannabis and other medication to treat his nerve pain for years.

He said Mr Nugent had become reclusive after becoming estranged from his family members and over the past decade had rarely left his Tarrawingee home, particularly because of his nerve pain.

The friend, who wanted to remain anonymous, said he could remember an occasion where Mr Nugent had told him that he had previously had visions of Mother Teresa "coming out of the wall".

Other times, he would "ramble" about politics and could get "really fired up", the friend said.

He said he last tried calling Mr Nugent about two months ago but failed to reach him.

The friend said he believed Mr Nugent's isolated lifestyle and uneventful life had caused him to become "fixated" on things.

He said Mr Nugent rarely spoke about his mental health, even when he was an inpatient the Kerferd Unit, which treats patients with acute mental illness.

"It's terrible to see what's happened," he said.