EXCLUSIVE: The 65-year-old good Samaritan who was horrifically injured trying to prevent his neighbour’s vehicle being stolen in Rapid Creek last week is a former Deputy Opposition Leader and long-serving Labor MLA.

John Bailey, who was the Member for Wanguri for 10 years, remains in a serious condition in Royal Darwin Hospital after he was crushed in between two cars during the theft on June 16.

The driver, allegedly a 15-year-old girl, has been arrested and charged over the incident.

Darwin Mayor Kon Vatskalis, who is a good friend of the former MLA, said he was stunned when he heard the news of Mr Bailey’s injuries.

“He’s a close friend of mine and I was shocked when I heard about it,” he told the NT Independent.

“I wish him all the best and I hope he makes a full recovery.”

Mayor Vatskalis said it came as no surprise to him that Mr Bailey had tried to help his neighbour and prevent her car from being stolen.

“He’s a true Territorian and he would do anything to help his friends,” he said.

“John has always taken pride in his community and all he was doing was trying to do some good and help a fellow human being.

“It’s terrible that this has happened as a result.”  

Mr Bailey won the seat of Wanguri for Labor in 1989 and held it for a decade.

He went on to serve as Deputy Opposition Leader under Maggie Hickey during this period but lost the job to Syd Stirling when Clare Martin became Opposition Leader in February 1999.

Mr Bailey resigned from Parliament later that year and was succeeded by former Chief Minister Paul Henderson who won a by-election in late 1999.

Following his resignation, Mr Bailey entered a successful stint as an alderman at Darwin City Council from 2000, serving for more than a decade in the role.

The 15-year-old girl has been hit with a swag of charges from the June 16 incident including intent to cause serious harm, recklessly endangering life, aggravated unlawful entry, unlawful use of motor vehicle, making threats to kill, failure to stop and assist after a crash, assaulting police, resisting arrest and breaching bail.

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