Chelsea striker Sam Kerr has been found not guilty of racially aggravated harassment after calling a Metropolitan Police officer “stupid and white” during an incident in Twickenham, south-west London.
A jury at Kingston Crown Court deliberated for four hours before clearing the 31-year-old Australian international of the charges related to the incident on January 30, 2023.
Kerr Denied Racial Motivation Behind Comments
Kerr admitted using the phrase but argued it was not racially motivated, insisting she was reacting to perceived abuse of power by the officer, PC Stephen Lovell.
“I believed it was him using his power and privilege over me because he was accusing me of being something I’m not,” Kerr told the court.
She added that she regretted the wording but maintained that the message was still relevant.
The Incident: Taxi Dispute Led to Police Involvement
The altercation began when Kerr and her fiancée, Kristie Mewis, were taken to Twickenham Police Station by a taxi driver who accused them of refusing to pay clean-up costs after one of them was sick in the vehicle. The driver also claimed that one of the women had smashed the rear window of the car.
Judge Peter Lodder KC noted that Kerr’s own behavior played a role in the incident and suggested this was a factor in the case being brought to court.
Legal Battle and CPS Controversy
Kerr’s legal team tried to have the case thrown out, arguing that the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) had abused its own guidelines in pursuing the charges.
Defense lawyer Grace Forbes claimed the CPS exploited a loophole to justify prosecution a year after the alleged offense.
During the trial, it was revealed that PC Lovell had not initially reported feeling harassed by Kerr’s comment in his first statement to the CPS. It was only in December 2023—nearly a year later—that he submitted a second statement, claiming the comment made him feel “shocked, upset, and humiliated.” The charge was formally authorized later that month.
Verdict and Reaction
After being cleared of the charges, Kerr was seen giving a thumbs-up to her legal team before leaving court with Mewis.
Her acquittal raises questions over how racially aggravated offenses are prosecuted and whether the CPS’s handling of the case will face further scrutiny.
A provisional trial date for related damage charges linked to the taxi dispute is yet to be confirmed.
