Matildas star Sam Kerr’s drunken behaviour ‘won’t save’ her in the trial over racial aggravated harassment
The Australian women’s sporting star is expected to find out her fate in the London court case on Monday.
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Sam Kerr’s “drunkenness doesn’t save her” after she called a British police officer “f---ing stupid and white” during a fit of “rage” at a London police station, a court heard.
Prosecution barrister Bill Emlyn Jones KC delivered his closing arguments on Friday afternoon (Saturday AEDT) at Kingston-upon-Thames Crown Court and asked the jury to carefully consider their decision that Ms Kerr faces one charge of racially aggravated harassment of a police officer to cause alarm or distress.
Mr Emlyn Jones KC said it’s common for lawyers to say “drunken intent is still intent” and that PC Lovell didn’t “over egg it” in his witness statement when he said he was offended by Ms Kerr’s comments at the Twickenham police station in the early hours of January 30, 2023.
In his closing arguments he also told the courtroom that Ms Kerr’s comments labelling the police officer “f---ing stupid and white” that were captured on body cam footage are both “abusive and insulting”.
Mr Emlyn Jones KC said despite glowing character references being read to the courtroom by Ms Kerr’s defence lawyer Grace Forbes from her friends, mum, colleagues and teammates stating that she is a “wonderful footballer”, she “cannot change what she did on video, it does not make it go away”.
He also said the “law does not discriminate between races based on language” and asked, “What if PC Lovell had been a black man and she called him f---ing stupid and black?”.
Ms Forbes will deliver her closing arguments on Monday before the trial being led by Justice Peter Lodder and the jury will then be sent away to deliberate.
Justice Lodder said he expected a decision to be made by the jury on Monday.
Earlier in the day Ms Kerr’s fiancee, Kristie Mewis, said the Matildas star was “treated poorly” by police and she couldn’t imagine how she was feeling on the night of an argument with police officers after the couple were taken to a police station by a taxi driver over an issue with a fare.
Ms Mewis, who is pregnant with the couple’s first child, finished giving testimony on Friday morning.
Former British women’s football player Carly Telford also took to the stand to give a character reference for Ms Kerr on Friday.
She said she first met Ms Kerr in 2012 and they later played football together at Chelsea.
Ms Telford described Ms Kerr as “quite quiet and reserved” and said she was one of her closest friends.
Other glowing character references for Ms Kerr were also read to the court by Ms Forbes included from Chelsea players Erin Cuthbert and Millie Bright, her agent Florian Schroeder, former Chelsea manager Emma Hayes and Ms Kerr’s mother Roxanne.
The trial continues.
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Originally published as Matildas star Sam Kerr’s drunken behaviour ‘won’t save’ her in the trial over racial aggravated harassment