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The man charged over the alleged fatal hit-run of a school teacher in the State’s south has been revealed as a former Nationals political candidate.

Benjamin Thomas Simpkins ran for a legislative council seat in State Parliament in the 2025 State election just 14 months ago.

On Wednesday, he fronted Perth Magistrates Court for the first time charged over the alleged fatal hit-and-run of Katanning Senior High School teacher Luke Russell.

The court was told Mr Simpkins’ licence was suspended when he drove to work in his Toyota Hilux early last Wednesday morning.

He was driving southeast on Marri Drive in the Great Southern town, when he allegedly hit Mr Russell, about 5.17am.

The police prosecutor said this caused Mr Russell “catastrophic injuries” to his head, as well as multiple fractures and extensive soft tissue damage. He was declared dead at the scene about an hour later.

Mr Simpkins allegedly failed to stop and help, instead continuing his drive to work and returning home later.

Later that day, a friend allegedly messaged him asking if he had seen the “murder scene” in town, to which he allegedly replied “no, wtf (what the f...k).”

The next day, he allegedly searched what a driver’s obligations are following a crash, which he is later accused of deleting.

The police prosecutor alleged he also attempted to clean his ute, but subsequent forensic analysis allegedly found DNA matching Mr Russell in the mudguard.

Mr Simpkins’ phone was seized following his arrest, but the court was told he refused to provide the passcode to assist police inquiries.

Mapping data allegedly later confirmed he had been driving on Marri Drive at the time of the crash.

Mr Simpkins was charged with failing to stop and ensure assistance after an incident occasioning death, failing to report an incident occasioning death to police, and no authority to drive.

But police have not yet ruled out adding dangerous driving causing death.

Mr Simpkins’ application for bail was refused and he was remanded in custody to next appear at Perth Magistrates Court on June 17.

Mr Simpkins was named treasurer of the WA Young Nationals executive in July 2023 before running in the 2025 state election.

Mr Russell’s death sparked a major homicide investigation in the small Great Southern town when his body was found on Marri Drive on May 13, about 5.35am.

Despite paramedics’ efforts, the 49-year-old could not be saved and was declared dead at the scene.

A large police presence was on the scene until Friday afternoon, when those efforts were scaled back.

Mr Russell was living in Katanning at the time of his death and had worked as a humanities and social sciences teacher at the local high school since 2020.

He also served as a Year 7-10 group co-ordinator at KSHS and was a regular contributor to the school’s newsletter.

Lucas Martins Da Silva, 31, who killed award-winning writer Brenda Walker when his speeding vehicle hit her in 2024, has been sentenced to four years in prison.

Martins Da Silva pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing death in circumstances of aggravation last September.  

Ms Walker was an award-winning novelist and professor of English at the University of Western Australia.

Lucas Martins Da Silva was driving his hatchback more than 30 kilometres an hour over the speed limit when he struck Brenda Walker on Kings Park Road in December 2024.

Ms Walker, 67, who was on her morning walk, was thrown into the air and landed on the road, suffering traumatic brain injuries and fractures all over her body.

Six people who were on board a cruise ship at the centre of a deadly hantavirus outbreak have landed in Australia.

The five Australians and one New Zealander arrived on a repatriation flight that had left the Netherlands late Thursday, where the passengers had been waiting after disembarking the MV Hondius.

The plane landed at RAAF Base Pearce, about 40 kilometres north-east of Perth.

The six passengers had tested negative for hantavirus before the flight, and were asymptomatic, but will undergo further health screening.

The ABC understands the passengers will be tested and processed by the Australian Border Force, before being transferred to the Bullsbrook Centre for National Resilience under police escort, where they will quarantine for three weeks.

Antisemitism Special Envoy Jillian Segal appointed former Vice-Chancellor Emeritus Professor Greg Craven to issue report cards on the handling of antisemitism on campuses.

The report card commenced after complaints about protests on university campuses and claims Jewish staff and students felt unsafe.

Professor Craven said he was unable to grade universities because they had all failed at the first hurdle of enshrining a definition and warned of serious consequences.

Every Australian university has failed to meaningfully enforce a definition of antisemitism, according to a controversial university report card assessment released today.

"No Australian university assessed met the definitional requirements of the report card," said Emeritus Professor Greg Craven, who audited universities on antisemitism.

"Without a clear, adopted, and enforceable definition of antisemitism, efforts to combat hatred on campus are fundamentally compromised," Professor Craven said.

The report warned if further "sectoral failure" occurred over coming months education minister Jason Clare should consider serious penalties that could impact funding or even registration.

Perth bikie boss David Pye will spend at least the next 34 years in prison after he was sentenced for ordering a hit on friend-turned-underworld rival Nick Martin at Kwinana Motorplex in 2020.

The former Comanchero, now a Mongol, appeared in the Supreme Court of WA on Wednesday to be sentenced by Justice Joseph McGrath almost six years after Martin’s death sent shockwaves through the community.

Martin was shot as he watched the drag races with his family and friends, sparking a widespread manhunt and feverish speculation about who fired the lethal shot.

A major police investigation led to the arrest of Waikiki FIFO worker and former army reservist Benjamin Johnston. It didn’t take long for him to reveal he had been paid to carry out the killing by Martin’s rival, Pye.

In return, he wanted a light sentence, which he got when he was jailed for 20 years for setting up his rifle over 300 metres away from Martin and firing a bullet that went straight through the bikie heavyweight and into the arm of his daughter’s partner, who was sitting behind him.

Martin died soon after and, during Pye’s sensational trial, Johnston – whose identity was kept a secret until a suppression order was lifted this year – told the court how he was paid $100,000 to carry out the kill.

Johnston also told the court that he thought he had done a “community service” by taking out the bikie.

Pye denied any involvement in the killing and maintained his innocence, but on Wednesday he learned he would be spending the next 34 years behind bars after McGrath sentenced him to life in prison with the hefty non-parole period.

During Wednesday’s sentencing – which was heavily guarded, with armed police officers stationed outside the court building – prosecutors described Pye’s actions as “calculated and premeditated”.

“The transactional nature of this killing sets it apart from other offending of this type,” Justin Whalley SC said.

“It is a contract killing where the offender has put a price on life and [Pye] has repeatedly demonstrated his belief that people he doesn’t like can simply be disposed of by making a cash payment.”

Whalley said Martin was loved by his family and his friends, who had written victim impact statements to the court detailing how his death had affected them.

“[Pye had] a chilling disregard of the sanctity of life,” Whalley said.

“What was it all for? An apparent grudge between the offender and Mr Martin.”