An English backpacker has pleaded guilty after killing a father-of-two while riding an e-scooter under the influence of alcohol in Australia. Alicia Kemp, from Redditch, Worcestershire, appeared in Perth Magistrates’ Court via video link from prison on Monday, charged with dangerous driving causing death under the influence of alcohol.
The 25-year-old was also charged with causing harm to a passenger while under the influence of alcohol was dropped. She was over the Australian legal limit when she crashed into Thanh Phan, 51, while riding through Perth’s city centre on May 31.
Mr Phan died in hospital days later after suffering a brain bleed. Kemp and the scooter’s passenger also suffered minor injuries.
According to the Australian Associated Press, Kemp’s lawyer Mike Tudori told reporters outside the court his client was “nervous and worried” being a “young foreign national girl” in an overseas jail.
He said: “She’s obviously done something stupid at the time.
“She obviously wasn’t thinking level-headed and there’s consequences, and she just wants to get on with her life.”
Mr Phan’s death thrust the issue of e-scooter regulations into Australia’s national spotlight, prompting the City of Perth and several other local councils to suspend e-scooter hire services indefinitely.
In an earlier statement, Mr Phan’s family described him as a “beloved husband, father of two and dear friend”.
Kemp will remain in custody and is due to appear before Perth District Court on October 31, when a date will be set for her sentencing.
The charge of dangerous driving causing death carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
Under Western Australian law, e-scooter riders must wear a helmet, be sober, carry no passengers and be aged over 16 years old.
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