World News
Man charged after threatening staff of Western Australian minister's office
Associated Press reports that John Lawrence Smart, 56, was charged over the office incident days after federal lawmaker Helen Haines was critically injured in an alleged car attack.
The short version
- Associated Press reports John Lawrence Smart, 56, was charged with threatening staff at Western Australian minister Hannah Beazley's office with nunchucks.[Associated Press]
- Smart said from the dock that he had been holding claves, not nunchucks, a claim that disputes the charge.[Associated Press]
- The case follows the alleged car attack on independent federal lawmaker Helen Haines, who was in critical condition Thursday after both legs were amputated.[Associated Press]
Key facts
- John Lawrence Smart, 56, was charged with threatening staff at Western Australian minister Hannah Beazley's office with nunchucks.[Associated Press]
- Smart entered Beazley's electorate office in suburban Perth on Wednesday, demanding to see her.[Associated Press]
- Smart said from the dock that he had been holding claves, not nunchucks.[Associated Press]
- Federal lawmaker Helen Haines, 65, an independent, was in critical condition on Thursday in a Melbourne hospital after surgeons amputated both legs, a health department statement said.[Associated Press]
What remains uncertain
- Smart's claim that he held claves rather than nunchucks disputes the charge; the charge and his account remain unresolved in the reporting.[Associated Press]
- Haines' condition is reported only as of Thursday, and no later update appears in the available reporting.[Associated Press]
Sources
Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.
- A second female lawmaker in Australia is threatened days after alleged car attackAssociated Press · Wire: associated-press
- Man charged after allegedly making threats at Hannah Beazley’s electorate office while armed with nunchucksThe Guardian - World
- A second female lawmaker in Australia is threatened days after alleged car attackABC News - International