‘Own truth’: Sam Kerr hostile to officer because of ‘whiteness’, court hears

The Matildas captain has admitted in court to being hostile to a British policeman, but says it was because he was abusing his power and privilege | WATCH

A London court has heard that Sam Kerr was “telling her truth” when she repeatedly called a police officer “f--king stupid and white” during a drunken night out.

Bodycam footage has revealed the reaction of Kerr, captain of national football team the Matildas, in the early hours of January 30, 2023, at Twickenham police station. The incident came after a taxi driver had taken Kerr, 31, and her partner, the United States footballer Kristie Mewis, 33, to the police station. Kerr and Mewis had been drinking on a night out, and believed the driver was kidnapping them. Mewis eventually smashed a taxi window in order for them to “escape”.

Testifying on day four of her trial at Kingston Crown Court, Kerr said that she had been expressing her hostility to police constable Lovell because of his stupidity. She also admitted being hostile to him because of his whiteness. “It is what I did, yes,’’ Kerr said, but had insisted “it is not what I meant”.

Kerr denies the charge of causing racially aggravated harassment to the police officer. The offence carries a maximum sentence of six months to two years in prison.

In court, Kerr agreed that if someone told her she was f--king stupid, it was bang out of order and insulting, and further agreed it would be upsetting, unpleasant and distressing.

But when asked “what did his race have to do with anything’’, Kerr replied: “It was him abusing his privilege and power over me because he perceived me to be something I am not”.

Kerr had previously accused the police officer of treating her differently because of her skin colour.

Prosecutor Bill Emlyn Jones suggested to Kerr that it was her with the power and privilege because she was shoving her weight around, claiming to have all this money with the best lawyers and, just six minutes into the body-worn camera footage, had begun accusing the police of being racist.

Kristie Mewis, the partner of Matildas captain Sam Kerr, arrives at Kingston Crown Court. Picture: Jacquelin Magnay

It was revealed in court that the taxi driver was Asian, which Jones said undermined Kerr’s claim that officers were believing the driver over Kerr because of race. Kerr, who said on Wednesday that she was racially profiled in the police station and “treated differently based on what they perceived to be the colour of my skin”, rejected Jones’s suggestion that this accusation was “completely unfair”.

Kerr, considered one of the best footballers in the world, has a father of Indian heritage and was born in Calcutta, and it has been noted in court that she identifies as “white Anglo-Indian”.

Kerr confirmed that her claim from the police station to “get the f--king Chelsea lawyers on this” was a bluff. Jones claimed these sort of comments meant she, not PC Lovell, held the power and privilege. Kerr rejected this and denied “giving it the big I am”.

“Who is it then with the power and privilege,’’ Jones asked, to which Kerr replied: “In my opinion, it is the police with the power and privilege.”

Kerr agreed that just six minutes into the body-worn evidence that she accused the police of being racist to her.

But when she was told there was no basis for that claim she replied, “It’s how I perceive it”.

Mewis, giving her evidence at the trial, was asked by Jones to reflect upon Kerr calling police officers stupid and white.

“That’s obviously, in hindsight, a shocking thing to say isn’t it?’’ he asked, to which Mewis replied: “At the time I think it was her truth and what she was feeling.”

Mewis, who is carrying the couple’s baby boy due in May, had admitted kicking in the rear window of a black London cab during the night in question said that Kerr has been “treated differently and spoken to differently for her whole life”.

Earlier, Jones pressed Kerr on why she did not make an emergency call until the taxi had arrived at the police station. Kerr said she “didn’t know where we were” and that the taxi moved after she made the call. She also said she was “embarrassed” about calling the taxi driver a “dodgy c---”.

Soundless bodycam footage of Kerr showing her phone to PC Lovell was played, with Kerr believing she was showing him evidence of her emergency call rather than her bank account.

PC Lovell has claimed that Kerr showed him her bank account to prove that she could pay for the taxi’s repairs, and that he felt “belittled” by this. Kerr does not recall showing him her bank account, but recalls having conversations about money with PC Lovell.

Both Kerr and Mewis did not accept that the police view of the situation dealing with two drunk women who had caused criminal damage to a taxi may have been correct.

Mewis cried while giving glowing testimony about Kerr’s character. Kerr who was in the dock, also wiped a tear as Mewis said she could think of no better person to be a mother to her child.

Mewis claimed being drunk had not impacted on her memory of the evening, but couldn’t tell the court which window she had smashed in. Mewis said she would kick in the back window again if she was put in the same situation. Mewis also couldn’t say who in the cab had kicked in the plastic screen protecting the driver.

“I knew had to do something dramatic to save us, it is how I felt in the moment, this was really dangerous situation for both of us,’’ Mewis said. Once she broke the window, she didn’t jump out because the cab was going so fast it felt dangerous thinking about that’’.

Mewis was then shown police body worn video from the police station but denied she looked like she wanted to the world to swallow her up, or that she didn’t know where to look when Kerr was allegedly abusing the police.

When it was put to her that Kerr’s comments about f--king stupid and white were out of order, she said “no’’.

Kerr with Mewis after Chelsea’s victory in the 2022 FA Cup. Picture: John Walton/PA

Mewis said both she and Kerr didn’t want to pay the cab driver for the damage and cleaning to the cab until she realised it could impact on her ability to make the United States team for the FIFA world cup.

Kerr is shown on the police video saying “I am not paying for f--king, some f--king c--t’s f--king window. He deserves it. I am not paying for it I will sit here until 4am and get the f--king Chelsea lawyers on this stupid…’’

The court also heard further details about the three calls to the police control room: one made by the cab driver at 2.11am where he was told to drive to the nearest police station and another by the cab driver at 2.18am saying he was outside the Twickenham police station.

Kerr’s call to emergency services was made at 2.23am at a point she said the cab was still moving.

The prosecution said audio of the police call centre suggests Kerr didn’t speak to the police but had instead had picked up audio of her speaking to people at the scene. However Kerr insisted she spoke to the call centre.

The jury was told the trial may continue into next Monday.