An English backpacker has been jailed for four years after hitting and killing a man while riding an e-scooter. Alicia Kemp, 25, was sentenced for dangerous driving causing death while intoxicated.
Kemp was over the Australian legal limit when she hit father-of-two Thanh Phan in Perth on May 31. The working holiday visa holder was sentenced at Perth District Court, Western Australia on Friday, December 12.
The court had previously heard that the woman was drinking with her friend on a Saturday afternoon before she hit the man. The two of them were kicked out of the bar because they were drunk.
The pair then hired an e-scooter in the evening, where Kemp was driving at speeds of 12 to 15mph when she hit the 51-year-old from behind on a pavement in Perth’s city centre, according to the BBC. The father died from a brain bleed two days after the collision.
Kemp’s friend and passenger was also injured. She sustained a fractured skull and broken nose and Kemp herself was also treated for minor injuries.
The court had previously heard that Kemp’s blood alochol content was more than three times the legal limit in Australia and CCTV showed her “inexplicably dangerous” riding before she struck Mr Phan, who was waiting to cross the road.
Mr Phan’s family described the structural engineer as a beloved husband, father, brother and dear friend in a statement released after the incident earlier this year. Her sentence was backdated to June 2025 for time served with a non-parole period of two years. Her driver’s licence has also been suspended for two years.
Kemp, who pleaded guilty to the charge in August, could be eligible for release in mid-2027.
The incident brought e-scooter safety into the national spotlight in Australia, and Perth along with many other nearby councils suspended hire services. There is now strict law on driving an e-scooter in the country, riders must wear a helmet, be sober, carry no passengers and be aged over 16.
Dangerous driving causing death carries a maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment.
