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Perth Driver Who Killed Author Brenda Walker Jailed for Four Years

The judge said the term is meant to deter deadly speeding shown on CCTV in a 60 km/h zone.

Overview

  • Lucas Martins Da Silva, who was sentenced Friday, received four years in prison backdated to March 2026 with parole after two and a four-year licence ban after release.
  • Court CCTV showed he drove at about 104 km/h, then 96 km/h, in a 60 km/h zone on Kings Park Road when he hit Brenda Walker, 67, an award-winning novelist and UWA professor.
  • Judge Wendy Gillan called his driving an egregious lapse of judgment and said prison was necessary to warn the community.
  • Walker’s husband, Alexander Ruskulis, said he is a hollow man now and told reporters he asked the prosecutor to consider an appeal because the term felt very light.
  • The defence said he was sober but exhausted from long work hours and visa fees, and his lawyer said he is likely to be deported after release.