Hero barber breaks silence on MP attack

Ricky Jefferies, a barber from Wangaratta, Victoria, has spoken about his actions after federal MP Helen Haines was struck by a four-wheel drive.

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Ricky Jefferies, a barber from Wangaratta in northeastern Victoria, has spoken about his actions after federal MP Helen Haines was struck by a four-wheel drive. According to Yahoo Australia, Mr Jefferies, a father of three, was in his barbershop near Dr Haines' electorate office when the incident occurred on Monday afternoon.

Mr Jefferies rushed to help after the 65-year-old MP was struck by a Toyota LandCruiser outside her electorate office on Murphy St. He pulled the driver from the vehicle and restrained him until police arrived. Yahoo Australia reports that the driver had a knife in his pocket, but it was not pulled out during the confrontation.

When asked what was going through his mind during the confrontation, Mr Jefferies said his priority was avoiding further injuries. He stated, 'My wife will be disappointed if I'm injured.' Mr Jefferies also expressed his gratitude for the attention and acknowledged the efforts of others who rushed to help.

The local barber became emotional as he described his close connections with the emergency workers who responded to the incident. He said, 'It's hard to stand up here and talk because the first people on scene were people I know.' Mr Jefferies insisted that others who helped deserved recognition, saying, 'The other people here, they did so much more than me. That was my role to play in this, and the other people here, they deserve the credit.'

Mr Jefferies has played down his bravery, saying he was simply trying to stop anyone else being hurt. He stated, 'I don't think I'm the hero, I think that I just was a person who had an opportunity to intervene in a safeish sort of way.'