English Tourist Pleads Guilty to Fatal E-Scooter Crash in Perth, Australia

Alicia Kemp

An English tourist has pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing death while under the influence of alcohol after fatally striking a pedestrian on an e-scooter in Perth, Australia.

Alicia Kemp, 25, admitted the charge during a hearing at the Western Australia Magistrate’s Court. On May 31, Kemp was riding a rental e-scooter with a passenger when she collided with 51-year-old Thanh Phan. The impact caused Phan to hit his head on the pavement, and he later died in hospital. Kemp and her passenger sustained minor injuries.

Kemp was in Australia on a working holiday visa from Britain. Investigators told the court she was travelling at about the scooter’s maximum speed of 20 to 25 kph (12 to 16 mph) when the crash occurred. A separate charge of causing harm to her passenger was dropped.

Appearing via video link from jail, Kemp was denied bail and will remain in custody until her next court date on October 31, when sentencing will be scheduled. The offence carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. Her lawyer, Mike Tudori, described her as “nervous and worried” as a “young foreign national” facing serious consequences, acknowledging she had acted “stupid” and “wasn’t thinking level-headed.”

Phan’s family described him as a “beloved husband, father of two, brother and dear friend.” His death prompted officials in Perth to suspend e-scooter rentals in the city, marking the fifth e-vehicle-related fatality in Western Australia in 2025. The state government has launched an inquiry into e-scooter safety.

Other Australian cities have taken similar steps, with Melbourne banning e-scooter hire in 2024, following the lead of global cities such as Paris, which voted for a ban in April 2023.