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A British backpacker who A pedestrian was hit and killed while driving an e-scooter while drunk. in the center Perth Has been sentenced to four years in prison.
Alicia Kemp, 25, was on a working holiday visa at the time She collided with 51-year-old Thanh Phan On a busy sidewalk in May.
Phan, a structural engineer and father of two autistic adult sons, suffered serious head injuries and died in hospital shortly afterwards. A friend traveling as Kemp’s passenger was also seriously injured.
Perth’s District Court heard that Kemp had spent two hours drinking with colleagues as part of an all-you-can-drink program, and later continued bar-hopping until he was refused entry to two venues due to intoxication, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
Kemp had hired a rented e-scooter on Murray Street and, with his friend on the back, was seen on CCTV speeding through pedestrians at about 20-25km/h – close to the device’s maximum speed.
Prosecutors said Kemp’s blood-alcohol reading was three times the legal limit of 0.05, and Phan had no opportunity to react before he was attacked from behind.
Judge Wendy Hughes said the accident was “no accident”, telling the defendant: “You, Miss Kemp, are a cautionary tale… You were responsible for the death of a good man, and I accept that you understand.”
The court was told that Kemp continued drinking for some time after the accident because he believed the injuries involved were minor – which Judge Hughes said was neither “cold” nor “sensitive” in the circumstances, as the extent of the victim’s injuries was not known at the time. But Phan’s condition deteriorated rapidly and emergency surgery could not save him.
In a victim impact statement read in court, Phan’s wife, Loan Lee, wrote that her husband was the “backbone” of their family, supporting two sons with high care needs. He said they had been left “unsafe” and “uncertain”, adding: “The pain of watching someone wait for someone who will never come back is indescribable.”
Kemp, who graduated in psychology and criminology and previously volunteered in the Philippines, cried as the statement was read. Her defense attorney, Michael Tudori, said she came from a “good family” and that she had shown “extreme remorse,” rendering herself unable to watch footage of the collision, according to the report. Sydney Morning Herald,
is the matter An in-depth examination of e-scooter regulation in Western AustraliaWhere riders must be over 16 years of age, wear a helmet, ride sober and not carry any passengers.
Phan’s death prompted the City of Perth to suspend its fare scheme, which other councils followed. A subsequent parliamentary inquiry warned of an “urgent need” for state reform after it was revealed that serious e-rideable injuries had become a daily occurrence at Perth’s main trauma hospital.
Kemp’s sentencing has been postponed until June 1. She will be eligible for parole after serving two years of her sentence and will be disqualified from driving for the same period.