Perth man Thanh Phan dies after being hit by e-scooter on dinner trip to CBD
Thanh Phan was out for dinner in Perth's CBD on Saturday night when he was struck at the intersection of Murray and King streets.
The 51-year-old was taken to Royal Perth Hospital and underwent surgery for swelling on the brain.
The ABC understands Mr Phan did not regain consciousness after the operation, and died Tuesday morning.
Alicia Kemp, 24, was initially charged with causing grievous bodily harm after driving the scooter under the influence of alcohol, but the state prosecutor has indicated the charges will be upgraded.
Mr Phan was an engineer and lived with his family in the inner city suburb of Menora.
Neighbour Siobhan O'Halloran earlier told the ABC the family had already endured hardship after Mr Phan's wife Loan Phan suffered a suspected stroke.
She said Mr Phan had helped her with rehabilitation and had been working from home to support her.
"One of their boys has very high-needs autism and she spends a lot of her time caring for him," she said.
Ms O'Halloran's husband Lee Carroll described Mr Phan as a generous and affectionate man.
"He's loved having our kids over at his house, he shows them the fish pond that he made and the budgies that they have, he's just very kind and very gentle man," Mr Carroll said.
He said Mr Phan was the family's sole provider.
Police say the alleged e-scooter rider Alicia Kemp was riding with a passenger while under the influence of alcohol when she hit Mr Phan.
The court heard the 24-year-old, who turns 25 on Wednesday, was visiting Western Australia.
The e-scooter passenger, a 26-year-old woman, was also taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries after the alleged crash.
Ms Kemp is due to appear in court Tuesday afternoon.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
ABC News
2 minutes ago
- ABC News
WA man charged with assaulting police officer after attempted arrest in Mullewa
A police officer in WA's Midwest has been flown to Perth with serious facial fractures, and another officer injured, after the arrest of an alleged domestic abuser turned violent. Police said the officers were responding to a reported domestic violence incident in Mullewa, 450 kilometres north of Perth, on Tuesday afternoon when they were allegedly attacked by 29-year-old Ronald James Gregory Merry. Mr Merry, who faced Geraldton Magistrates Court on Tuesday, allegedly punched a 47-year-old woman, who reported the incident to police. In police body-worn camera footage played to the court, Mr Merry appeared agitated as the two officers questioned him about the alleged earlier assault. He could be heard telling officers, "I'll grab your handcuffs and take you to jail," repeatedly calling them "c*nts" and telling them "to go". "Go now before I knock you out," he was heard saying in the footage. The footage showed two officers tell Mr Merry he was under arrest, and attempt to pull him up by his arms. It showed Mr Merry then repeatedly punch the male officer in the face and head, knocking him to the ground and continuing to hit him. The footage then captured the officer's female colleague attempting to pepper spray Mr Merry, who began throwing punches at her. The 29-year-old then turned his attention back to the male officer, punching him several times in the head while the police officer remained on the ground. The female officer then attempted to taser Mr Merry, who fled the scene and ran out of the house. Police located him several hours after the incident, charging him with a string of offences, including aggravated assault, escaping lawful custody and assaulting a public officer. The female officer was treated at the Mullewa Nursing Post, and the male officer was flown to Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital in Perth. Magistrate Matthew Walton noted the male officer's injuries showed bruising and an apparently closed-over eye. Police alleged Mr Merry had been drinking and using methamphetamine the previous night. Defence counsel Matt Reen requested Mr Merry be released on bail, although he noted the prosecution's case was strong. Magistrate Walton denied bail, remarking the body-worn footage was "clear" and "stark" in supporting the alleged facts of the matter. He noted Mr Merry's history of breaching court orders, and the "inevitability" of an immediate term of imprisonment following a conviction. Mr Merry was remanded in custody and will return to court in October.
ABC News
2 minutes ago
- ABC News
Sunshine Coast childcare centre intruder on parole at time of death
The 28-year-old intruder at the centre of a Queensland childcare centre emergency had a lengthy criminal history, including charges for stalking, weapon offences and drug dealing. Reubhan Mickeal Gary Ralph was on parole when he died on Monday after smashing his way into the Habitat Early Learning childcare centre at Peregian Springs on the Sunshine Coast. It is understood he was armed, and police tasered him multiple times. Ralph was not known to any staff or families at the centre. Police are investigating whether he was in a drug psychosis at the time of his death. The centre had five staff and six children inside and was winding down at 6pm, about 30 minutes before it was due to close. The staff heard Ralph's efforts to break in and swiftly moved to hide the children. The time it took him to smash through the centre's front glass doors was enough for them to alert police, who arrived to confront Ralph soon after. They attempted to subdue Ralph, who was self-harming. Ralph died in the custody of police. Court documents chronicled Ralph's criminal history, starting in 2021, which included multiple drug offences. Since then, he faced court multiple times and was convicted for drug driving, speeding, drug trafficking, breaching bail, stalking, and carrying a knife in public. He spent five months in custody for the stalking offences. According to court documents, he was part of a syndicate which sold narcotics on the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast. The money he made was used to pay off his drug debts. Most recently, in May last year, Ralph pleaded guilty in the Supreme Court in Brisbane to possessing and selling drugs. He was convicted but had his three-and-a-half-year prison sentence wholly suspended and was put on probation for two-and-a-half years. Ralph was released on parole in June after breaching his bail conditions. Queensland Police Union president Shane Prior said every officer at the scene acted bravely during the "harrowing incident". "One young constable used initiative and resourcefulness to enter the rear of the premises without the offender being aware and guided the children and carers to safety," he said. "He has saved these kids from a potential lifetime of trauma. Police and Emergency Services Minister Daniel Purdie said he spoke with officers after the attack. "They handled it extremely well and did whatever they could to protect the children and carers," Mr Purdie said. "It really was a horrific incident for this tight-knit community." A Queensland Police Service spokesperson said the childcare evacuation was a team effort between several police officers and facility staff, not one specific officer.
ABC News
32 minutes ago
- ABC News
Names released of 29 failing childcare centres at risk of losing funding, with more expected to follow
The names of 29 childcare businesses that have failed to meet national quality and safety standards have been made public, with 11 of the centres based in Western Australia. Compliance actions were issued to the centres last week by the federal education department. It's the first time the warnings have been handed down, after federal parliament passed legislation which allows the government to strip funding from centres that don't pass basic checks. The National Quality Standards (NQS) relate to the health, safety and education of children at all childcare centres, family day care facilities, outside school hours care, preschool and kindergarten. The centres issued with warnings failed to meet the standards for at least seven years and were required to tell parents about the compliance action by this week. Some 30 centres have been warned and the ABC has been told that more will be added to the list. While all the names will be released eventually, 29 have been made public so far. They include childcare centres, family day care centres and out of school care, which looks after children in primary school. At this stage, no large for-profit childcare companies are on the list that has been made public. Warnings were issued to five centres in Queensland, among them was the Cairns Regional Family Day Care, Babyco Family Day Care and Moonlight Family Day Care Services. In New South Wales, two family daycare centres, Newton Family Day Care and Little Oz Kids Family Day Care Pty Ltd — Oakhurst, were warned. Four childcare centres had a compliance action issued, while Cooinda Early Learning Centre OOSH, a service which provides care to primary school children after school hours, was asked to improve its standards. Western Australia had the highest number of centres warned. Four centres that care for primary school aged children before and after school have been told to improve their standards. Seven other family and centre-based centres have been given six months to lift standards. Provider Lex Education has received a warning for two of its centres. The NQS ranks each centre on how it manages educational programs, children's health and safety, the setup of play areas, staffing, relationships with children, partnerships with families, governance and leadership. Education Minister Jason Clare says the centres have six months to improve. "These centres need to lift their game or they will face further consequences," he said in a statement. The government can either cut funding to a centre, place conditions on a centre's Child Care Subsidy (CCS) approval, have the approval suspended or cancelled. The CCS approval is essential for a centre to operate. Early Childhood Education Minister, Jess Walsh, said that while the vast majority of educators do the right thing, the compliance notices serve as a warning. "Today's action should signal to all early childhood education and care providers that the National Quality Standards are not optional, and that all services must be up to scratch," she said in a statement.
