A man was charged on Thursday with threatening an Australian lawmaker’s staff with nunchucks days after federal lawmaker Helen Haines was critically injured when a man hit her with a car.
Prosecutors said in a Perth court on Thursday that John Lawrence Smart, 56, was screaming when he entered Western Australian state government minister Hannah Beazley’s electorate office on Wednesday, demanding to see her.
Western Australia Police said it was alleged that the man made “verbal threats while in possession of an improvised martial arts weapon (nunchucks).”
Australian lawmaker Helen Haines has double-amputation, remains in critical condition after vehicle attack
Beazley was not in the office at the time and two staff members remained safe behind a security barrier in the office. No one was hurt.
In a post on Facebook, Beazley thanked everyone who had reached out and checked in on her and her staff following the incident at her office.
“It was a confronting situation for my two staff members who were present at the time, and I thank the police officers who attended for their quick response and action taken to take the person into custody,” Beazley wrote.
Beazley said that her staff “did an amazing job” and “did everything right — providing information WA Police needed quickly.”
“This is now a matter before the courts, so I won’t comment on the specifics of the incident any further,” she added. “As the Member for Victoria Park I love spending every day working for and representing local residents, and this won’t change.”
During his court appearance, Smart said that he had been holding claves, not nunchucks, according to The Associated Press. Claves are typically wooden sticks used as a percussion instrument.
Nunchucks are a controlled weapon used in martial arts consisting of two or more batons joined by a cord, rope or chain, according to Western Australia state law. Nunchucks can only be carried in public in the state for use in legitimate sports, training or martial arts instruction.
Magistrate Heidi Watson refused to release Smart on bail, saying he posed a potential risk to himself and the public, The Associated Press reports.
She ordered Smart to be medically assessed while in custody. He had previously been involuntarily admitted to hospital with schizophrenia.
Smart did not enter pleas to charges of being armed, or pretending to be armed, in a way that may cause fear and with making an unlawful threat.
There was no allegation that Smart’s alleged behaviour was connected to the driver who hit Haines with his car in the east coast state of Victoria on Monday.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said that the incident at Beazley’s office added to “an awful week” in Australian politics.
“The fact that you had this incident so soon after the tragedy that occurred with Helen Haines in Wangaratta on Monday is just heartbreaking,” Albanese told Mark Gibson on 102.5 ABC Perth.
On Wednesday, Haines’ husband said that she had both legs amputated following the alleged attack.
Victoria Police allege that the incident was targeted, after a white Toyota Landcruiser struck Haines outside her office on Monday.
Australian MP has both legs amputated after alleged car ramming attack
The 65-year-old independent politician is receiving treatment in a Melbourne hospital where she was flown by helicopter.
Phil Haines, Helen’s husband, shared the first public statements on his wife’s condition on Wednesday.
He said that Helen’s left leg was amputated on Monday and her right leg was amputated on Wednesday.
“The good news in all this is that Helen is alive and she’s stable. That is the most important thing for our family,” Phil told reporters in Melbourne.
“We are grateful and thankful that at this stage, both her heart and her mind are in good shape,” he said, adding that their 40th wedding anniversary will be in November.
Albanese said eyewitnesses had reported that the suspect first passed Haines in his vehicle on Monday as she stood by the trunk of her parked car.
The car then turned and came back before the man allegedly drove into the politician, the prime minster said.
Witnesses say the driver rammed his victim, pinning her against her own car before reversing and ramming her a second time.
The man accused of running Helen over made an initial appearance in court on Wednesday.
Brendan Nugent, 43, was charged with intentionally causing serious injury, dangerous driving causing serious injury and causing harm to a federal official.
Nugent did not enter a plea and will remain in custody until his next schedule court appearance in February.
—With files from The Associated Press
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