Sam Kerr found not guilty of racially harassing police officer

After the verdict the Matildas captain apologised for ‘expressing myself poorly’ but insisted she didn’t mean to ‘insult or harm anyone’ by calling a police officer ‘f**king stupid and white’.

Sam Kerr arrives at Kingston Crown Court to hear the verdict. Picture: AFP.

Matildas captain Sam Kerr has been found not guilty of racially harassing and insulting a white police officer two years ago.

Kerr, 31, reacted with relief in the dock of court nine of Kingston Crown Court when the jury of eight women and four men delivered their verdict on Tuesday, the seventh day of the trial. Kerr dropped her head in her hands and then told the dock officer: “I hope to never see you again”.

In the public gallery her parents, Roxanne and Roger nodded to each other while Kerr’s fiancee’s Kristie Mewis started to cry.

When Kerr left the court she hugged her brother Levi and then told her legal counsel Grace Forbes: “You have done amazing, I can’t thank you enough.’’

Kerr left court without speaking to the waiting media but issued a statement several hours later saying she was “thankful” for the jury’s decision.

“Following today’s not guilty verdict, I can finally put this challenging period behind me. 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 said in the statement.

She also thanked her partner Kristie Mewis, her family, friends and all the fans for their love and support, especially those who attended court each day.

Kerr is expecting a baby boy with Mewis, who is six months pregnant. “I am fully focused on getting back on to the pitch and look forward to an exciting year ahead for me and my family,” she said.

While Kerr was found not guilty of the offence, the expletive laden footage of the drunk footballer accusing police constable Stephen Lovell of being “f … stupid and white” amid a half-hour angry rant has been broadcast around the world.

Judge Peter Lodder told the defence counsel before her submission of costs that it was his opinion Kerr’s own behaviour contributed significantly to the bringing of the allegation of racially aggravated harassment.

“That has a significant bearing on the question of costs,’’ he said, adding that Kerr had to accept her behaviour by virtue of the video recording.

The case has also raised questions about how Crown Court time was wasted on a relatively minor matter that would have probably resulted in a fine or community service, when serious rape cases have a near five year delay.

Kerr was charged in January 2024 for alleged racially aggravated harassment of PC Stephen Lovell at Twickenham police station after a big night out with her partner Kristie Mewis in the early house of January 30, 2023.

Kerr’s management consultant Lloyd Webb from Ashton Media Group said all Kerr’s sponsors were standing by the Chelsea striker and insisted her previously golden reputation has been far from harmed.

Kerr is likely to be back on the pitch for Chelsea from next month after spending a year recovering from a knee injury.

The jury believed Kerr’s extreme distress at being found locked in the back of a black cab while being driven to her home in Richmond, southwest London in the early hours of January 30, 2023 and that her frustration with PC Lovell who was trying to negotiate Kerr to pay for the damage to the cab was not racially aggravated.

PC Lovell said he had felt shocked, upset, and humiliated at the insults.

But the jury believed Kerr who said she intended to insult PC Lovell but didn’t intend to be racist, even though she admitted saying the words “f … g stupid and white” on several occasions.

Kerr said she had been terrified in the taxi and believed she was being kidnapped because the surroundings and the route being taken by the black cab driver were unfamiliar to her. She said she was concerned because of growing up at the time of the Claremont serial killer near her Fremantle home. the kidnapping and killing of Sarah Everard from nearby Clapham Junction in 2021 and the increasing distress of her partner was front of mind.

During the ride home Kerr had woken from a slumber and vomited, and she said the cab driver immediately began driving dangerously.

Kerr and Mewis, who weren’t wearing seat belts, both stood up and said they tried to get the driver to stop and let them out.

The taxi driver believed the women wouldn’t pay for the clean-up, a point Kerr had vehemently denied, and he rang police at 2.11am seeking advice. He was told to go to the nearest police station. The driver than rang back at 2.18am to inform police he was outside Twickenham police station.

Kerr rang emergency services at 2.21am, later saying she had delayed making the call because she was hoping the situation would become “normal”.

When she did ring the emergency number she waited for the loud alarm to activate on her phone rather than use the slider to make immediate contact. She said she did this to make sure the driver knew they wanted to get out.

As the driver was pulling up outside Twickenham police station Mewis had already smashed the rear window of the cab and Kerr climbed out to open the door for Mewis to exit and then went over to police.

Kerr said in the police station she believed she was being treated differently and not believed by the police officers present, because of her skin colour. Kerr says she identifies as white Anglo-Indian, having a father who is of half Indian descent.

She said she was refusing to pay for the smashed window, calling the cab driver a “dodgy c*** t”.

She said: “I am a big believer it was an injustice, we don’t try to escape from someone and then get charged for it.’’

In the end she transferred the equivalent of A$1800 to the cab driver so criminal damage charges to the cab were dropped against herself and Mewis.

Mewis had expressed concern to Kerr that any charge could impact on her (Mewis’s) chances of making the United States team for the FIFA world cup.

“She couldn’t get in trouble … it would impact her chances of being in the World Cup team,’’ Kerr told the court.

The jury preferred the version offered by Kerr’s lawyer Grace Forbes, who told the court: “When you look past the headline and you look at the evidence, that Samantha Kerr did not feel hostile towards this officer because he is white. We saw comment, however poorly expressed, about positions of power and privilege and how those words might colour perception”.

When PC Lovell expressed disbelief that the police control room would have hung up on an emergency call, saying: “They wouldn’t do that”, Kerr replied: “Oh my God … Honestly, you guys are f**king stupid and white” and then “You guys are f**king stupid and white”.

Expressing frustration with trying to call the police not knowing the right number, she told police: “It’s the world’s f**king problem,” adding that was because “we are international”.

The court also saw footage where Kerr looked at PC Lovell and said “honestly you guys are f**king stupid and white’’ and “I am looking you in the eyes I’m looking you in the eyes, you guys are f**king stupid, I am over this s**t’’.

Kerr said she wasn’t going to pay for the damage to the cab.

“ I am not going to pay for some dodgy c**t’s f**king window’’. She added: I’ll get the f**king Chelsea lawyers on to this, I am not taking the f**king brunt on this.”