Body camera footage exposes shocking Sam Kerr act
A London court has been shown bodycam footage of the moment Matildas star Sam Kerr allegedly racially harassed a police officer after smashing a taxi window.
Football
Don't miss out on the headlines from Football. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Matildas star Sam Kerr called a British police officer “f***ing stupid and white” during her arrest at a police station, dramatic footage played in court shows.
The startling vision also shows the Chelsea striker appearing to boast about her wealth to the same officer while also saying she would “get the Chelsea lawyers on this”.
Kerr, 31, is on trial charged with allegedly causing racially aggravated harassment to the officer during an incident in London in the early hours of January 30, 2023.
It is alleged that the Matildas captain and her partner, fellow footballer Kristie Mewis, had been out drinking when they were driven to Twickenham Police Station in southwest London by a taxi driver.
The driver complained the passengers refused to pay clean-up costs after one of them vomited, and that one of them smashed the vehicle’s rear window.
You can view the footage in the video player above.
At the police station, Kerr is alleged to have become “abusive and insulting” towards police constable Stephen Lovell.
Thirty minutes of footage from Lovell’s body camera was played to a jury sitting at Kingston Crown Court on Tuesday (AEDT), in which Kerr tells Lovell: “Honestly, you guys are f***ing stupid and white.”
Prosecutor Bill Emlyn Jones told the jury: “The defendant’s comments towards PC Lovell left him shocked, upset, and humiliated.
“He took offence to the comments that Ms Kerr made about his race because you may think that his being a white man really had nothing to do with anything.”
The prosecutor added: “Kerr denied that she intended to cause PC Lovell harassment, alarm or distress.
“She said ‘I was just very angry at how I felt.’ She described the entire situation as distressing and a ‘heated moment’.
“Ms Kerr said that both herself and Ms Mewis were crying at the time.”
The body cam footage also shows Kerr appearing to reference Sarah Everard’s murder – saying she and Mewis believed they were being kidnapped by the driver.
“Both of us are very scared,” Kerr is heard saying.
“We had been driving round in his car for 20 minutes, we rang 911, we were very scared, we spoke to someone, we were trying to speak to someone.
“He kept stopping and speeding up, stopping and speeding up, one of your people killed and raped a female last year in Clapham, 20 minutes from here.”
At one point in the bodycam video, Kerr challenges the claims made by the taxi driver, saying: “That is f***ing bullshit. He is a f***ing liar.
“Why are you listening to him over us two? This stupid c**t would not let us go.”
Kerr, who is of mixed race, last year pleaded not guilty to the offence.
Grace Forbes, defending on Kerr’s behalf, told jurors on Tuesday: “Nobody disputes the words that were said. But simple words, even words like these, do not make you guilty of a criminal offence.”
She added: “The words were a comment, however poorly expressed, about positions of power, about privilege, and how those things might colour perception.
“Sam Kerr did not feel hostile towards this officer, because he is white.
“You will hear from Sam Kerr in due course. You will also hear a little about who she is, from those that know her best.
“Keep an open mind, all the way through. Don’t form a fixed view until you have heard all the evidence.”
Emlyn Jones presented a timeline of the alleged events, beginning from the moment the driver refused to let Kerr and Mewis leave after she was sick in the vehicle.
The prosecutor alleges Kerr and Mewis refused the driver’s request for the couple to pay the costs needed to have the taxi cleaned.
The taxi driver first called police to lodge a complaint that a woman in his vehicle was attempting to smash a window.
The driver was then advised by an emergency services phone operator to drive to Twickenham Police Station.
PC Lovell and another officer were the first police to attend the scene after the taxi driver parked behind their marked police vehicle and sounded the car’s horn to get the officers’ attention.
Emlyn Jones said the officers at the scene “noticed smashed glass in the road and saw that a taxi was parked outside the police station”.
He went on to allege: “The officers saw Ms Kerr crawling out of the broken rear window of the taxi.
“They felt that the taxi driver was kidnapping them and so they broke the rear window in order to escape and raise the alarm.”
Emlyn Jones alleges PC Lovell also noticed damage to the plastic guard that separates drivers from passengers in the back seat.
Kerr and Mewis were then taken inside the police station.
Footage of Kerr’s behaviour inside the station shows she then allegedly argued with PC Lovell about a phone call she was attempting to make from her personal phone.
Kerr is heard saying police “hung up on us”.
PC Lovell responded: “They wouldn’t do that”.
The officer then informed Kerr she was being arrested.
“You are under arrest for criminal damage because there’s an allegation that you smashed that taxi window,” PC Lovell said in the video.
“You’re also under arrest for racially aggravated public order for the comments that you’ve said.”
One of the most startling moments in the video shows Kerr appearing to boast about her wealth.
Emlyn Jones said PC Lovell felt “somewhat belittled” when Kerr allegedly showed off her bank account figures.
“PC Lovell tried a number of times to explain to Ms Kerr and Ms Mewis what the taxi driver had said but they would not let him speak and kept interrupting him every time he tried,” the prosecutor said.
“The defendant used her mobile telephone to show PC Lovell the contents of her bank account as if to say, “look, I could easily afford to pay for any damage to the taxi” if she wanted to.’”
The footage also shows Kerr on several occasions speaking over the top of PC Lovell.
According to the video shown, Kerr said: “I’m looking you in the eyes, I’m looking you in the eyes. You guys are f***ing stupid, I’m f***ing over this s***”.
Kerr also told the officers: “I’m not paying for some f***ing dodgy c***s window. I will sit here ‘til 4am and get the Chelsea lawyers on this”.
She also told police officers: “I am going to post this s*** on Twitter”.
The alleged incident occurred after Kerr scored a hat-trick to propel Chelsea to a 3-2 FA Cup victory over Liverpool.
Kerr remains one of the highest-profile female footballers on the planet.
She became the first female footballer to appear on the front cover of the global FIFA (EA FC) video game and has been publicly supported by teammates and even Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
Kerr will be hoping for smoother sailing in 2025 after a rollercoaster 2024.
Kerr and fiancee Kristie Mewis in November announced the American is pregnant.
It was a rare piece of good news for Kerr, who spent the entire year on the sidelines after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury at training with Chelsea teammates in January.
When Kerr will finally get back on a football field remains unknown.
Kerr’s trial is set to continue for four more days and will resume on Wednesday (AEDT).
Originally published as Body camera footage exposes shocking Sam Kerr act
Defender wants Sydney to see ‘best’ of him
Sydney FCs defensive options have increased with the signing of an experienced centre-back and the emergence of a young talent.
Major turnaround in Socceroos’ fortunes
In a good sign for the Socceroos ahead of March’s FIFA World Cup qualifiers, Mat Ryan and Joe Gauci are both now getting match minutes since moving to new clubs.