British woman charged over death of Australian in e-scooter crash

BBC News

5 hours ago

A British woman has been charged in Australia over the death of a man she allegedly hit while riding an e-scooter after a night of drinking.Prosecutors told magistrates that Alicia Kemp, 24, hit Thanh Phan, 51, from behind at speeds of 20-25km/h (12-15mph) on a pavement in Perth city centre on 31 May. The father-of-two hit his head and died two days later, prompting police to charge Ms Kemp with death by dangerous driving while under the influence. The charge carries a maximum 20-year prison term.In a subsequent court hearing, prosecutors alleged Ms Kemp, of Redditch, had been drinking with a friend before both boarded the same scooter. She was denied bail and faces court again on 15 July.
Prosecutors told Perth Magistrates' Court that CCTV footage showed Ms Kemp's "inexplicably dangerous" driving, "evasive action" taken by others in her path, and the moment of collision with Mr Phan as he waited to cross the road. Ms Kemp was denied bail by a magistrate on the basis that she posed a "flight risk", after prosecutors argued that she was in Australia on a working holiday visa and could attempt to leave. British media reported on Saturday that her parents were flying to Australia to support her. Her boyfriend has been present at the court hearings in Perth.Ms Kemp faces an additional charge of dangerous driving occasioning bodily harm while under the influence for injuries suffered by her passenger, who was thrown from the e-scooter and suffered a fractured skull and broken nose.Police say Ms Kemp had a blood alcohol content level of 0.158 when she hit Mr Phan. The legal drink-driving alcohol limit in Australia is 0.05. The court heard that the pair had been drinking on the day since 14:30 and were forcibly evicted from the bar because of intoxication. The pair hired the e-scooter just before 20:30. In a statement last week, Mr Phan's family described him as a a beloved husband, father, brother and dear friend. He had worked as a structural engineer and had previously lived in Sydney, as well as Vietnam and Singapore, Australian media reported.They called for a review of safety regulations around the use of hire e-scooters "to help prevent further serious incidents that put lives at risk".Perth's city council suspended the use of hire e-scooters on Thursday, with authorities removing the vehicles from the street this week. Deputy Lord Mayor Bruce Reynolds called Mr Phan's death a "tragic event".Western Australia's police minister is also reviewing e-scooter regulations.