London | The police officer who has accused Matildas captain Sam Kerr of racially harassing him was forced to defend himself on Tuesday (Wednesday AEDT), rejecting allegations by her lawyer that he had first ignored her safety fears and later tried to engineer a criminal charge.

Ms Kerr has pleaded not guilty to the charge of racially harassing Constable Stephen Lovell in late January 2023 – an offence which could carry a jail term. Video footage aired in court showed that she called him “f---ing stupid and white”.