A BRTISH backpacker faces 20 years behind bars in Australia after pleading guilty to killing a dad-of-two when she ploughed into him drunk on an e-scooter.
Alicia Kemp, 25, smashed into the back of 51-year-old Thanh Phan and left him with fatal head injuries in June.
Alicia Kemp, 25, has pleaded guilty to killing the dad-of-two
LinkedInThanh Phan, 51, was the devoted dad-of-two killed in the e-scooter crash[/caption]
TikTok / aliciashonaThe psychology graduate from Redditch, Worcestershire, admitted striking Phan from behind while speeding down a footpath drunk[/caption]
The psychology graduate from Redditch, Worcestershire, was more than three times the legal limit when she hopped on the bike after a reported six-hour marathon pub session.
She was driving a pal at speed down a footpath when she careened into Thanh and knocked him down.
The devoted dad was rushed to hospital but tragically died days later from a bleed on the brain.
His death thrust e-scooter regulations into the spotlight in Australia, and prompted Perth alongside several other local councils to suspend the hiring services for good.
Kemp appeared at Perth Magistrates’ Court via video link from prison to enter her plea on Monday.
She admitted to a charge of dangerous driving causing death under the influence of alcohol.
Another charge of causing harm to a passenger while under the influence of alcohol was dropped.
The 25-year-old will remain in prison until she appears at Perth District Court on October 31, when a date will be set for sentencing.
The charge of dangerous driving causing death carries a maximum penalty of 20 years behind bars.
Kemp’s lawyer Mike Tudori said 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.”
Phan’s devastated family described him as a “beloved husband, father-of-two, brother, and dear friend”, and called for a crackdown on e-scooter safety laws.
Prosecutors previously said Kemp had a blood alcohol content of 0.158 when she “careered into his back” at up to 25km/h as the dad stood at a crossing on a Saturday night in June.
The court heard walkers had to “take evasive action” to avoid Kemp’s “inexplicably dangerous” riding, which was captured on CCTV.
Her 26-year-old passenger also suffered a fractured skull and broken nose.
Kemp, who was in Australia on a four-month tourist visa with her partner, had been working at Durty Nelly’s Irish Pub in Perth.
She had been drinking with a friend from 2.30pm – who was kicked out of a bar for being too drunk – before they hired the e-scooter just before 8.30pm.
Her bail bid was rejected after a magistrate ruled she posed too great a flight risk.
The magistrate said: “It’s a very difficult decision for the court to make. The temptation might be that [she] won’t return.
“I can’t manage that risk.”
And under Western Australian law, e-scooter riders have to wear a helmet, be sober, carry no passengers and be over 16 years old.
TikTok / aliciashonaThe Brit had reportedly been drinking for six hours before the crash[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
