By Rob Harris
London: Australian soccer star Samantha Kerr says she wants to put a “challenging period” behind her after a British jury cleared her of racially aggravated harassment towards a UK police officer in a unanimous verdict.
Kerr, the 31-year-old Matildas captain and star striker with English club Chelsea, had denied a charge of racially aggravated harassment but admitted she called Constable Stephen Lovell “f---ing stupid and white” during a drunken altercation over a taxi fare with police in January 2023.
Sam Kerr leaves Kingston Crown Court after being found not guilty of causing racially aggravated harassment.Credit: AP
The jury, comprising eight men and four women, deliberated for about four hours before reaching its verdict at Kingston Crown Court shortly after 2pm local time. The offence carried a maximum of six months imprisonment and a fine of nearly $5000.
Kerr’s parents, Roger and Roxanne, brother Levi and pregnant fiancee Kristie Mewis were all present in the courtroom for the decision. Wearing a white shirt, Kerr showed little emotion when the verdict was read, but Mewis broke down in tears and was later comforted by her soon-to-be father-in-law.
“I can finally put this challenging period behind me,” Kerr said in a written statement issued by a strategic communications consultancy firm engaged for the trial.
“While I apologise for expressing myself poorly on what was a traumatic evening, I have always maintained that I did not intend to insult or harm anyone, and I am thankful that the jury unanimously agreed.”
She thanked Mewis, her family and friends, and all the fans for their love and support, referencing those who attended court each day.
The World Cup hero was overheard saying “Hope to never see you again” to the dock officer as she left the courtroom. She gave a thumbs-up to her barrister, Grace Forbes, before leaving the dock. She then embraced her brother.
Judge Peter Lodder flagged after the verdict he was not fondly disposed to making a ruling on costs.
“I take the view her own behaviour contributed significantly to the bringing of this allegation ... that has a significant bearing on the issue of costs,” he said. “Behaviour which she herself had to accept by virtue of video recording.”
Neither Kerr nor her legal team spoke to the large throng of media assembled on the steps of the courthouse for her departure. She was ushered into a waiting black van by private security guards.
The Crown Prosecution Service, which authorised the charge, said: “In this case, we decided that there was sufficient evidence and that it was in the public interest to proceed. We respect the jury’s decision.”
The Australian captain, one of the most recognisable and highest-paid women’s soccer players in the world, faced hours of interrogation on the witness box during the six-day trial, retracing the events of the evening two years ago which included a chaotic taxi ride, a smashed car window, multiple calls to police and a tense, drunken and foul-mouthed episode with three police officers.
Matildas captain Sam Kerr arriving at Kingston Crown Court on Monday with fiancee Kristie Mewis.Credit: Getty Images
Kerr and Mewis, a professional soccer player for West Ham, had been out drinking when they were driven to a police station by a taxi driver, who complained that they refused to pay cleaning costs after the Australian was sick and the American smashed the vehicle’s rear window.
The pair told the court they were in an intoxicated and highly distressed state, having believed the taxi driver had tried to kidnap them and hold them “hostage”. Things took a turn in the cab ride from Oxford Street to Kerr’s then-home in Richmond after she vomited in the taxi.
The driver had called police, telling them the women were refusing to pay for their fare and a soiling fee, and was told to drive them to Twickenham police station.
A key part of the trial was police bodycam footage played to the court, where Kerr had also referred to officers as “white” and “privileged” earlier in a recorded exchange as well.
In his statement, Lovell said being called “stupid and white” made him feel “shocked, upset and leaving me feel humiliated”, adding, “They went too far, and I took great offence to them”.
He told the court the reference to his race made him feel “upset”.
During the trial it was revealed that the Crown Prosecution Service, the body which has the final say on whether a criminal prosecution can go ahead in England and Wales, initially decided against charging Kerr as the evidence did not meet the required threshold.
Kerr told the court she used the words because she felt she was being treated differently because of her skin colour by a person in a position of power, but said she didn’t mean to harass him.
“I expressed myself poorly in that video,” Kerr said, but added: “I feel the message was still relevant”.
Kerr is the captain and all-time leading scorer for the Australia’s women’s team, with 69 goals since her debut in 2009.
She is recovering from an anterior cruciate ligament injury she sustained at a training camp in Morocco in January last year. She is regarded as one of the finest players in the English women’s competition, having won several trophies since joining Chelsea in 2019, scoring 99 goals in 128 matches.
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