British tourist pleads guilty to killing dad-of-two while drunk driving an e-scooter

A British backpacker had pleaded guilty after killing a man while riding an e-scooter (Image: aliciashona/Tiktok / LinkedIn)

A British tourist who hit and killed a man while riding an e-scooter in Australia pleaded guilty on Monday to a charge of death by dangerous driving while under the influence of alcohol. Alicia Kemp, 25, from Redditch, Worcestershire, had been drinking with a friend in the afternoon when she was kicked out of a bar because the two of them were drunk, Perth Magistrates’ Court heard.

The 25-year-old was over the Australian legal limit (0.05% blood alcohol concentration) when she crashed into Thanh Phan, 51, while riding through Perth’s city centre on May 31 at a speed of between 12 and 16 mph - about the maximum speed of the e-scooter. Mr Phan died in hospital days later after suffering a brain bleed from hitting his head on the pavement. His death prompted the City of Perth and several other local authorities to suspend e-scooter hire services indefinitely. Ms Kemp was visiting Western Australia state from the UK on a working holiday visa, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corp. This charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison in Australia.

The 25-year-old was over the Australian legal limit when she crashed into Thanh Phan, 51, while riding through Perth’s city centre on May 31 (Image: Getty)

Ms Kemp appeared in Perth Magistrates’ Court via video link from prison on Monday. She will remain in custody and is due to appear before Perth District Court on October 31, when a date for her sentencing will be set.

Under Western Australian law, e-scooter riders must wear helmets, be sober, carry no passengers and be over 16 years old. On Monday, an additional charge of causing harm to the passenger was dropped.

Mike Tudori, Kemp's lawyer, told reporters outside the court that his client was “nervous and worried" as “a young foreign national girl” in an Australian jail.

Melbourne, in Victoria, was the first Australian city to ban e-scooter hire in 2024., while Paris banned them in April 2023 (Image: Getty)

“She’s obviously done something stupid at the time,” he said, according to Australian Associated Press. “She obviously wasn’t thinking, level-headed and there’s consequences, and she just wants to get on with her life.”

Mr Phan’s family described him as a “beloved husband, father of two, brother and dear friend," according to the AAP.

Mr Phan's death was the fifth involving e-vehicles in Perth in 2025, prompting the suspension of e-scooter rentals in the city. The state's government has also launched an inquiry into the vehicles.

Melbourne, in Victoria, was the first Australian city to ban e-scooter hire in 2024. The move echoed outlawing in some other cities worldwide, including Paris, where a ban was overwhelmingly approved in April 2023.