A Porepunkah landlord has revealed a connection between Dezi Freeman, the man suspected of killing two police officers, and Brendan Nugent, who is accused of attacking federal MP Helen Haines with a car.
Rebecca Swift said both men are known to her in a three-minute video posted to YouTube on an account called The Freeman Files.
She said Freeman had lived with his wife and two children on a bus on her property. Freeman was shot dead during a stand-off with police in May after spending seven months on the run over the fatal shooting of two officers carrying out a search warrant at his Porepunkah home.
Ms Swift did not explain how she knew Mr Nugent, who has been charged in connection with the alleged attack on Dr Haines.
In the video, she issued what she described as a “media cease and desist” message, saying she did not want to be mentioned “inappropriately” in news reports about her links to the two men.
“Yes, I know both of them,” she said.
Ms Swift also expressed sympathy for Dr Haines and her family following the alleged attack outside the MP’s electorate office in Wangaratta on October 19.
“On behalf of me and my family, we want to say that we’re deeply shocked and saddened by the horrific attack on Helen Haines on Monday,” she said. “And our sympathy and well wishes and prayers are with Helen and her family.”
Nugent, 43, of Tarrawingee, is accused of deliberately driving a Toyota LandCruiser into Dr Haines. He appeared in court last week facing charges of intentionally causing serious injury, dangerous driving causing serious injury and causing harm to a Commonwealth public official, as well as two unrelated drug charges.
Dr Haines remains in hospital after the incident, which resulted in both of her legs requiring amputation. A spokesman for Melbourne’s Alfred hospital said on Tuesday morning that she was in a serious but stable condition, with a further update expected on Wednesday.
