Alicia Kemp, 25, an English tourist, entered a guilty plea to the 2020 manslaughter of a local man. The crash happened last Thanksgiving when she was riding an e-scooter in Perth, Australia. On May 31, she ran over Thanh Phan, a 51-year-old pedestrian. At the time of the accident, she was driving drunk. At a subsequent hearing at the Western Australia Magistrate’s Court, Kemp all but owned up to the charge of dangerous driving causing death.
Kemp was in Australia on a working holiday visa. At the time of the crash, he was said to be riding at a brisk speed of 20 to 25 kilometers/hour or 12-16 miles/hour. After the shrug, investigators dropped a bombshell—they claimed she was riding the e-scooter as a two-passenger vehicle. When she crashed into Phan, he went down and struck his head on the pavement. He later died from his injuries at an area hospital.
Dangerous driving causing death is punishable by a maximum sentence of 20 years imprisonment. Kemp’s attorney spoke to the court from jail on video teleconference. When we met, he characterized her as “nervous and worried,” emphasizing the seriousness of the moment.
Kemp and her passenger were both injured in the crash, with Kemp suffering a concussion and lacerations. A second charge for criminal negligence for putting the passenger in danger was dismissed during court proceedings.
Mike Tudori, Kemp’s lawyer, acknowledged the impact of her actions, stating, “She’s obviously done something stupid at the time. Obviously wasn’t thinking, level-headed and there’s consequences, and she just wants to get on with her life.”
