Lucas Martins Da Silva: Driver charged over acclaimed author Brenda Walker’s Kings Park death fronts court

The driver of a car who allegedly fatally struck an acclaimed author in West Perth is awaiting an expert report before making a plea, with his speed a key focus. Lucas Martins Da Silva is accused of hitting award-winning writer Brenda Walker with his Toyota Yaris as she crossed Kings Park Road just before 7am on December 10. The impact propelled the 67-year-old into the air and she landed 40m away. She was rushed to Royal Perth Hospital but did not survive. At Mr Martins Da Silva’s bail application hearing in Perth Magistrates Court in January, a police prosecutor alleged the 30-year-old had been estimated as travelling up to 104k/h in the 60k/h zone and swerved before striking her. The court was told he did not have alcohol or drugs in his system and was on his way to work at the time, while Dr Walker was taking her morning stroll. Mr Martins Da Silva, a Brazilian national on a temporary visa in Australia, called triple-0 and attempted to help Dr Walker, and spent weeks in custody after being arrested at the scene. He fronted court in person on Wednesday, represented by barrister David Manera, who sought an adjournment while awaiting an expert report. State prosecutors opposed, saying the matter should progress as soon as possible given its seriousness, but the adjournment was granted until September 10. Mr Martins Da Silva declined to comment to waiting media outside court but his lawyer described the case as “an absolute tragedy”. “No-one gets in their car to go to work on a morning with the intention of killing somebody,” Mr Manera told reporters. He said he’d only recently received the evidence from the prosecution. “A lot of that is evidence that needs to be carefully examined to assess things such as alleged speed and manner of driving,” the barrister said. “And that’s what we’re going to have an expert look at.” Asked if his client was close to pleading to his charge of dangerous driving causing death in circumstances of aggravation, Mr Manera said: “We will be, on the next court date, much closer”. Mr Martins Da Silva had to surrender his passport and must not go near any international departure point as part of his bail conditions. The court was told in January that the 30-year-old carpenter moved to Perth with his wife from Melbourne two years earlier, after two years in the Victorian capital. Dr Walker taught English literature at the University of WA and mainly wrote fiction. Her memoir Reading By Moonlight: How Books Saved A Life was her foray into non-fiction and was written while she was recovering from breast cancer. She moved to Perth from her home state of NSW in 1984 and rose to the position of Winthrop Chair of English Literature and Cultural Studies, the first female professor in the department’s history.