Brendan Nugent’s family say Helen Haines has been their friend for more than 20 years

Police allege 43-year-old Tarrawingee man who drove Toyota LandCruiser was arrested at the scene in Wangaratta

Helen Haines’ alleged attacker has been named as 43-year-old Brendan Nugent, Guardian Australia has confirmed.

Nugent is a long-term forestry campaigner in the state’s north east. Environment campaigners who worked with Nugent several years ago have expressed shock at his arrest.

Nugent has a masters of forest ecosystems science from The University of Melbourne who spent years researching the forestry industry in Victoria . He has also been a registered business owner in Wangaratta.

Nugent was a committee member for the Save our Strathbogie Forest Group, which campaigns against logging in the region. He became inactive around 2019-20.

His arrest has shocked the group’s chairman, Bertrant Lobert, who said he initially appeared to be “a reasonable and thoughtful person but then he drifted away”.

“He was engaging, he was thoughtful and to hear what has happened now, if it all turns out to be true, is just completely shocking,” Lobert said.

“This is quite personal as a lot of people in our group knew Helen personally and were friends.

“This is more than just a tragedy about the targeting of public figures, it’s about our community and the people we know.”

In October 2019, when Nugent was still actively campaigning on forestry issues, he praised Haines for her stance on climate change.

When Haines posted on X about an ABC QandA episode, Nugent wrote “Would’ve been nice to include a politician who takes climate change seriously, such as yourself”.