Plan to turn Sam Kerr’s racism saga on its head emerges

Released court documents now show the plan being formed by Sam Kerr’s legal team to defend the Matildas captain.

Sam Kerr’s legal team will argue her case should be thrown out and wrapped up next month, it has been reported.

Australian football has been reeling since the bombshell news emerged on Monday that the Matildas captain had been charged with aggravated racial harassment of a police officer.

Just as shocking as the allegations were the admissions from Football Australia boss James Johnson and Matildas coach Tony Gustavsson that they only heard about her alleged abuse of a police officer on Tuesday.

Kerr was charged on January 21 this year.

Released court documents now show the plan being formed by Kerr’s legal team to defend the 30-year-old.

As first reported by News Corp, Kerr’s legal defence will claim abuse of process because the charges were handed down nearly 12 months from when the alleged incident took place.

The case will return to Kingston Crown Court in London on April 26 where Kerr’s team will argue the case should not proceed to the four-day trial scheduled for February 3, 2025.

Two police officers are scheduled to give evidence if the case proceeds to a trial.

Kerr appeared at Kingston Crown Court via videolink on Monday after she was accused of using insulting, threatening or abusive words that caused alarm or distress to a police officer during an alleged incident in Twickenham on January 30, 2023.

The star striker only spoke to confirm her identity and to enter a not guilty plea to the charge which was later confirmed by the Metropolitan Police.

Sam Kerr after the World Cup semi. Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images

James Johnson fronted media on Tuesday. Photo by Mark Brake/Getty Images

Kerr had earlier scored a hat-trick for her Chelsea team in the side’s 3-2 win over Liverpool to move to the fifth round of the FA Cup.

A UK Metropolitan Police Service spokesman said Kerr was charged via a “postal charge requisition” on January 21 this year “with a racially aggravated offence under Section 4A Public Order Act 1986”.

The officer was allegedly abused after responding to a complaint involving a taxi fare.

Just hours after her video link appearance, photos shared on Instagram show Kerr was celebrating with partner Kristie Mewis and other members of the Matildas squad.

Photos show Matildas captain Steph Catley was among those celebrating Matildas goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold’s birthday on a night out in Covent Garden in London.

Kerr was on Tuesday accused of a “cover up” after failing to notify Football Australia about the incident.

Sam Kerr pictured celebrating Mackenzie Arnold’s birthday just hours after London court appearance.

Johnson said: “I woke up this morning like everyone else did to the news and that’s when Football Australia found out about this unsettling event.

“We need to establish our own facts. This is news to us.

“And it’s concerning because of the subject and we need to get our heads around what’s actually happened.’’

Johnson was careful not to make any assumptions given they were “serious allegations”.

“We’re trying to get to the bottom of it at the moment. We have our own questions we would like to know. We have got to find out what actually happened,” Johnson said in Adelaide, having woken up to the shock news.

“There is a process that is underway … and that process needs to run its course.

“I don’t want to get into any allegations. We have to understand what happened. They are serious allegations. It regards racism and there is no place for racism in our sport. At the same time Sam has rights, natural justice rights, procedural rights that she has to work her way through and we respect that.”

However, veteran Australian sports broadcaster and former 2GB Drive host Jim Wilson hit out at Kerr sitting on the incident for over a year.

“There’s a presumption of innocence until proven guilty, but the cover-up is a disgrace by Sam Kerr, if I was the boss @FootballAUS I’d be livid and reading her the riot act, end of story,” he posted to X.

“Optics are appalling!”

Harassment convictions in the UK can lead to a sentence of up to two years when the offence is racially or religiously aggravated.

— with NCA NewsWire