Sam Kerr, the Chelsea and Australia striker, has been found not guilty of racially aggravated harassment for telling a London police officer he was “stupid and white” following an incident in January 2023.
Thursday’s verdict at Kingston Crown Court followed more than four hours of deliberation by the jury. Kerr, 31, was alleged to have offered the observation to police constable Stephen Lovell at Twickenham Police Station following a night out with her partner, West Ham midfielder Kristie Mewis.
The duo had been brought to the station by a taxi driver who claimed they didn’t pay the clean-up fee after one of them vomited and shattered the back window of the car. Prosecutors alleged that Kerr became abusive with Lovell at one point during the encounter.
But the jury found Kerr was not guilty and Judge Peter Lodder said her actions during the incident were partly to blame for the allegation but said it did not merit a guilty verdict.
Kerr, a pivotal player for the Women’s Super League champions, has been at Chelsea since 2020, and showed no outward reaction to the verdict but later gave her barrister a quiet thumbs-up. She is still sidelined with a knee injury suffered earlier this season.”
