A drug affected truck driver has been jailed for six years and nine months after causing a highway crash at one of Perth's major intersections which killed a 55-year-old grandmother.

David West drove his 39-tonne truck through a red light on Tonkin Highway at up to 100km/h in April 2019, slamming into Moira Dunstall's car and shunting it 150 metres.

Ms Dunstall died at the scene.

READ MORE: Mother's final moments shown as truck driver faces court

The 48-year-old pleaded guilty to manslaughter and admitted to taking methamphetamine and Viagra in the days before the crash.

He may be out on parole in less than five years.

West was on parole for drug dealing at the time of the crash, with convictions for dangerous driving and driving under the influence.

The judge found his ice use and undiagnosed sleep apnoea contributed to the accident and said although West wasn't aware his driving was impaired, it was "a very serious example of criminal, negligent driving".

Two years on, Ms Dunstall's loved ones say they're still struggling to come to terms with her sudden and violent death.

"No punishment could ever equal the pain we have experienced, or compensate for the loss of Moira's life," a family member said.

Once released, West will be banned from driving for three years.

As the Lucindale fire in South Australia's south-east took hold yesterday, Neil and Chris Watts raced home to find "flames everywhere".

Today they were left to scour through the burnt remains of their home of more than 40 years.

"Came straight here and that's when we found the place on fire, just about flames everywhere, couldn't do much about it," Mr Watts said.

More than 100 people were evacuated as the fire raged towards homes.

While most homes and the township itself was saved, damage to farms has been extensive with sheds and machinery destroyed.

"For me it's a bit of a numb feeling, I can't really explain. Probably might take a little bit longer to sink in, another couple of days probably to realise that you've lost everything," Mr Watts said.

The blaze burned through 14,073 hectares of land, saw power and mobile communications cut to more three thousand properties, making dealing with the devastation even harder.

READ MORE: South Australia fire threat eases but Lucindale residents still on high alert

The Country Fire Service said there had been "significant" losses to fencing and thousands of livestock were either killed or badly injured.

The threat from the fire eased earlier today, with a wind change and cooler temperatures of about 30C aiding the firefighting effort.

Up to 200 firefighters and more than 40 trucks were on the ground during the firefighting effort.

Aircraft will continue to fly over the fire ground today to monitor for any new outbreaks.

https://twitter.com/9keziahsullivan/status/1348606464118587392

The hot weather has also arrived in other parts of Western Australia, with the relentless wet weather typical of La Nina being replaced by hotter, drier winds from the north and west.

Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra are in for a sunny day to continue what is forecast to be a warm week ahead.

Despite this week's warmer weather is that very few extreme temperatures are likely.

While parts of Victoria and South Australia exceeded 40C yesterday, and Melbourne reached 36.7C, this looks to be a relatively short burst of hot air, with conditions set to moderate by the end of the week.

Troughs are generating areas of heavy rain, showers & storms in northern Queensland, and the odd storm about the Top End.

A trough and cold front crossing the southeast is triggering showers and storms in parts of Victoria and Tasmania.

Other troughs are maintaining intense heat in Western Australia..

Here's your state-by-state weather forecast for Tuesday, January 12 2021:

New South Wales and the ACT

Mostly sunny, warm in the east. Mostly sunny, hot in the west.

Sydney will be mostly sunny with a low of 18C and a top of 29C.

Canberra will be mostly sunny morning with light winds, a low of 15C and top of 34C. Medium chance of showers during this afternoon and evening. The chance of a thunderstorm during this afternoon and evening.

https://twitter.com/BOM_ACT/status/1348754846845952001

Victoria

Mostly sunny, cool-to-cold in the south. Mostly sunny, hot in the north.

Melbourne has a slight chance of a light shower early this morning. Mostly sunny afternoon. low of 17C and a top of 22C.

A strong wind warning is in place for Central Gippsland Coast and East Gippsland Coast.

https://twitter.com/BOM_Vic/status/1348570759489269760

Queensland

Mostly sunny, mild-to-warm in the southeast. Showers/storms easing, very warm in the northeast. Showers/storms, very warm in the northwest. Sunny, very warm in the southwest.

Brisbane will be partly cloudy with a slight chance of a shower. Daytime temperatures will range between a low of 20C and a top of 29C.

Western Australia

Mostly sunny, warm-to-very warm in the southwest and south. Windy, very hot in the northwest. Mostly sunny, very warm in the northeast.

Perth a low of 18C and a top of 32C Mostly sunny. Winds gusting to 50 km/h at times about the hills in the morning.

Gale Warning for the Perth Local Waters, Lancelin Coast and Perth Coast.

Strong Wind Warning for the Pilbara Coast West, Ningaloo Coast, Gascoyne Coast, Geraldton Coast, Bunbury Geographe Coast and Leeuwin Coast.

South Australia

Increasing sunshine, warm to very warm in the southeast and central. Mostly sunny, warm-to-hot in the west and north.

Adelaide will be mostly sunny with a low of 15C and a top of 30C.

Northern Territory

Showers/storms, very warm in the north. Mostly sunny, very warm-to-hot over the interior and south.

Darwin will be partly cloudy. Medium chance of showers, most likely in the late morning and afternoon. The chance of a thunderstorm with gusty winds. Light winds becoming NW 15 to 20 km/h in the early afternoon then becoming light in the evening.

A number of areas are forecast to come close to 40C today including Bradshaw, Kidman Springs, Wave Hill, Kunanurra and Elliot.

Tasmania

Clearing shower, mild in the south. Mostly sunny, mild-to-warm in the northwest. Clearing shower, mild in the northeast.

Partly cloudy. Medium chance of showers early this morning. Daytime maximum temperatures between 17C and 21C.

A witness has described the "horror" of an alleged carjacking that saw a woman dragged hundreds of metres, admitting he expected she would be killed.

The woman, 22, is recovering in hospital with serious injuries after the alleged carjacker last night crashed the blue Mitsubishi Lancer hatchback that the victim had been sitting inside before she was allegedly ambushed.

Minutes earlier, the woman's friend had left the car running and her alone while he went inside a Nando's restaurant in the Buranda Shopping Centre, in Woolloongabba, to pick up some food.

Police allege 18-year-old Theo Fewquandie then sat in the driver's seat before driving off.

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The man allegedly pushed the woman out of the vehicle causing her to be dragged for several hundred metres while the car drove erratically before crashing into a brick wall outside a church in O'Keefe Street.

Police responded quickly to the scene and arrested an 18-year-old Ellen Grove man described as having a "man bun".

He has been charged with unlawful entry of a motor vehicle, robbery with violence, dangerous operation of a vehicle causing grievous bodily harm, deprivation of liberty and unlicensed driving.

"It was like something out of a horror movie," one witness said.

"The way that it looked, I really wasn't expecting to find an alive person at the end of the road."

Mr Fewquandie did not apply for bail in court today and will spend at least the next month behind bars.

Detectives have urged anyone with any dashcam footage of the Buranda Shopping Centre between 5pm and 7pm to come forward.

Investigations are continuing.

The son of retired solicitor Peter McCarthy has spoken for the first time since his father was found beaten to death at South Coogee, remembering him as "a larrikin and loving" family man.

"He was a great dad and an amazing grandfather to my two sons," James McCarthy said.

"A typical Aussie larrikin I guess you could say but with a well-mannered twist – he was always trying to help whoever he could help," he said.

Mr McCarthy paid tribute to his father the day after Sydney homicide detectives arrested Narelle Fiona Smith, 46, and charged her with murdering the 77-year-old sometime between December 16 and 20 last year.

"He's a 78-year-old man -who was nice to everyone and did whatever he could to look after anyone so you just don't think that something's going to happen to him," he said.

Ms Smith has denied having anything to do with Mr McCarthy's death and told 9News: "I didn't do it" as she was led out of her South Coogee unit, next door to where Mr McCarthy lived.

Mr McCarthy was last seen on December 16 at Club York in Sydney's CBD where he regularly visited.

Four days later his ex-wife discovered him dead after being savagely beaten.

Police are investigating whether robbery was a motive because Mr McCarthy's brown satchel and phone were missing from his unit.

Ms Smith has also been charged with stealing Mr McCarthy's Opal card and is accused of using it on two buses the day Mr McCarthy's body was discovered.

The 46-year-old was due to face Waverley Local Court today but she didn't apply for bail and it was formally refused. The case returns to court in March.

A prison escapee has been arrested after nearly nine months on the run.

Selim Sensoy had been hiding out in a home in Windsor and was arrested yesterday.

The 45-year-old escaped a minimum-security prison at Glen Innes last May and stole a tractor to make his getaway.

He was serving a three-year sentence for assaulting his sister and possessing a firearm.

Sensoy remains a person of interest in his mother's disappearance.

Nadire Sensoy hasn't been seen since December 2018 and in June last year her family made an emotional plea for information.

Police have offered a $350,000 reward for information.

Neighbours said they'd seen Sensoy at the Windsor home in recent months but only knew him as Tony and had no idea he was a wanted man.

He pleaded guilty to escaping custody and stealing a motor vehicle and will remain behind bars until 2023.

The unlicensed driver accused of running down and killing two young boys near Dubbo has sobbed in court as he begged a Magistrate to let him out of jail so he can continue to care for his elderly great-grandmother.

Jacob Donn, 25, is facing 14 charges, including dangerous driving causing death, after the car he was allegedly driving ploughed into Sheldon, 6 and Shane Shorey, 7, as the brothers walked to the Wellington swimming pool in NSW last week.

The boys' mother, and two other children, were also injured in the horrific crash.

The seriousness of the charges, and accusations he fled the scene after the crash, saw his bid for bail knocked back, despite his lawyer arguing that he needs to provide care for his 91-year-old great-grandmother Dawn.

Donn cried with his head down in the dock as the decision was made, and outside court, his great-grandmother was also in tears.

"I miss him every minute of every day, " she told 9News.

"I love him and support him."

It comes as the mother of the two young boys, Shayleen Frail, begins her painstaking recovery in hospital.

The 34-year-old woke from a coma to learn her two youngest sons had been killed, and has since undergone several surgeries.

A fundraising page has been set up by friends to support her through her recovery, and as she comes to terms with the loss of her children.

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