Sam Kerr cop accuser’s motives under scrutiny

The UK police officer at the centre of Sam Kerr’s racial abuse case has had his motives questioned, with lawyers for the Matildas star suggesting he was “determined” to charge her.

Matildas captain Sam Kerr said she was “intoxicated” and “did vomit outside the window” of a London taxi after a late night out with her partner but said she had no recollection of repeatedly calling a British police officer “f---ing stupid and white”, a London court heard.

Ms Kerr, who has Indian ancestry, is due to give evidence on the third day in the trial that has been heard before a jury and a packed courtroom with Australian and British media.

The court heard testimony on day two that the Crown Prosecution Service only authorised the police to charge Ms Kerr on December 12, 2023, nearly 12 months after the alleged incident took place after further evidence was obtained by police on the matter.

In PC Stephen Lovell’s first witness statement made on January 30, 2023 – the day of the alleged incident inside the Twickenham police station – the court heard he made no mention of the comments from Kerr labelling him “f---ing stupid and white”.

He was asked by Ms Kerr’s lawyer Grace Forbes if he said in a later statement provided to the CPS that he was “shocked, upset” and felt “humiliated” by Ms Kerr’s comments because he was “determined to pursue” her “through the courts” and ensure the CPS authorised police to charge her.

PC Lovell said “yes” he was determined to pursue her but told the court he had no idea who Ms Kerr was and did not know she was a well-known Australian sporting star.

At Kingston-upon-Thames Crown Court on Tuesday 14-minute audio was played from a police interview conducted with Ms Kerr at Kingston Police Station about 20 hours after she was arrested on a charge of racially aggravated harassment of PC Lovell on January 30, 2023.

The 31-year-old Chelsea striker was interviewed by PC Ryan Skinner about 10pm that night after the alleged incident at the police station where body cam footage revealed her calling PC Lovell “f---ing stupid and white” after she had a dispute with a Black Cab driver over a fare and the officer questioned her about the incident.

She had claimed she was held hostage for 50 minutes in a taxi after a dispute with the driver and phoned for emergency help.

The court was also told Ms Kerr paid £900 (about $1800) for the damage to the taxi.

Ms Kerr attended the Kingston police station without a lawyer later that day to be interviewed about the incident involving the cab driver which included a dispute over the clean-up costs of vomiting in the taxi and damage to the vehicle including a smashed rear window and plastic shielding inside to protect the driver.

She was also questioned about the alleged racial aggravated harassment of the police officer.

Sam Kerr arriving at Kingston-upon-Thames Crown Court in London for day two of her trial on a charge of racial aggravated harassment. She has pleaded not guilty. @[e-mail]/QBloMAD0r4

— Sophie Elsworth (@sophieelsworth) February 4, 2025

She explained during the police interview that she went out to dinner on the night of January 29 with her partner Kristie Mewis, a West Ham midfielder, and “had maybe a bottle of wine” between the two of them.

During the audio recording played to the court PC Skinner asked Ms Kerr: “Do you remember saying words to the effect (to the police officers) of you guys are f---ing stupid and white, honestly you guys are stupid and white.

“I’m looking you in the eyes, I’m looking you in the eyes. You guys are f---ing stupid?”

Ms Kerr replied during the interview: “I definitely do not recall saying that”.

She was then asked by the officer: “Would you see the comments as racist?”

Ms Kerr said she did not.

“No because I wasn’t. I don’t recall saying that so no”.

During the police interview PC Skinner then played the vision from body-worn vision to Ms Kerr where she can be heard calling PC Lovell “f---ing stupid” and “white”.

He later asked her during the police interview if there was “anything at all you would like to say to PC Lovell if you had the chance?”

Body-cam footage of Sam Kerr after taxi cab incident has been played in court. She denies one charge of racially aggravated harassment of a police officer. Source: Twitter.

Ms Kerr said she would have apologised.

“Just sorry, I think of course like I understand he’s doing his job and he didn’t really know where we had come from so I think it’s just I apologise for putting them in a situation where they had to stay there for so long and deal with two very angry girls that probably wasn’t gonna get solved in that moment,” she said.

The court also heard during the 2023 police interview that Ms Kerr said she and her partner were “both very scared, very upset” after a dispute erupted with the taxi driver who she claimed “became very aggressive and very dangerous” including driving dangerously.

The trial continues.

Originally published as Sam Kerr cop accuser’s motives under scrutiny