Chelsea forward Sam Kerr has been found not guilty of racially aggravated harassment after referring to a Metropolitan Police officer as “stupid and white.”
A jury at Kingston Crown Court reached the verdict regarding the incident, which took place in Twickenham, South-West London, on January 30, 2023.
Kerr, 31, claimed she was “antagonised” by officers after being taken to a police station in a taxi following a disagreement.
While she admitted using the words “stupid and white” toward PC Stephen Lovell, she denied that her remarks constituted a racial offence.
The Australian international showed her relief in court, giving a thumbs-up to her legal team before exiting with her fiancée, Kristie Mewis.
The altercation began after a taxi driver transported Kerr and Mewis to Twickenham Police Station, alleging that they had refused to cover cleaning costs after one of them was sick in the vehicle.
The driver also claimed that one of the women had broken the rear window of the taxi.
Chelsea striker Sam Kerr has been found NOT GUILTY of causing racially aggravated harassment, after calling a Metropolitan Police officer “stupid and white”. pic.twitter.com/zACfl8hjpU
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) February 11, 2025
Judge Peter Lodder noted that Kerr’s actions had played a role in the legal proceedings.
“I take the view her own behaviour contributed significantly to the bringing of this allegation,” he said.
“I don’t go behind the jury’s verdict but that has a significant bearing on the question of costs.”
During the trial, Kerr admitted she regretted how she expressed herself but maintained, “I feel the message was still relevant.
“I believed it was him using his power and privilege over me because he was accusing me of being something I’m not.
“I was trying to express that due to the power and privilege they had, they would never have to understand what we had just gone through and the fear we were having for our lives.”
It has now been revealed that Kerr’s legal team attempted to have the case dismissed at a preliminary hearing, arguing that the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) had mishandled the process.
Her lawyer, Grace Forbes, accused the CPS of breaching its own guidelines, stating that a “loophole” in the victims’ right of review scheme was used to justify moving forward with the case a year after the alleged offence.
During the trial, PC Lovell was questioned about his statements regarding the incident. Initially, he did not mention being distressed by Kerr’s remarks, but in a second statement submitted in December 2023, he described feeling “shocked, upset, and (left) me feeling humiliated.”