Chelsea striker Sam Kerr repeatedly referred to as a police officer ‘f****** silly and white’ inside a police station after an evening out, a court docket heard on Monday.
Kerr, 31, was current in court docket on the primary day of her trial for an offence of inflicting racially aggravated intentional harassment, alarm or misery.
The incident occurred at Twickenham police station, south-west London, within the early hours of January 30, 2023.
Invoice Emlyn Jones KC, for the prosecution, informed the court docket how Australia worldwide Kerr and her companion, West Ham United and U.S. Ladies’s Nationwide Group participant Kristie Mewis, had been on an evening out.
On the finish of the night, they hailed a black cab and headed house.
Nonetheless, the taxi driver ended up calling the police to complain about their behaviour, saying they had been attempting to smash the rear window. He claimed they refused to pay the prices of cleansing and repairing his taxi.
As a substitute of taking them house, he drove to Twickenham police station to hunt the assistance of law enforcement officials.
There they had been met at round 2:20am by PC Samuel Limb and PC Stephen Lovell, who noticed Kerr climbing out of the damaged rear window of the taxi.
The court docket was informed how PC Lovell noticed the rear window was smashed and the piece of plastic that separates the driving force from the passengers had additionally been broken. It additionally appeared one of many passengers had been sick, he stated.
Within the police station, in video proof proven to the court docket, Kerr and her companion had been seen telling officers they felt they had been being held hostage within the taxi, had been begging to get out and so broke the rear window to attempt to escape.
Kerr additionally claimed she had referred to as the police.
Additionally they repeatedly referenced the case of Sarah Everard, the 33-year-old lady who was .
Throughout this dialogue, it’s alleged Kerr turned abusive in the direction of PC Lovell and repeatedly stated, ‘You guys are f****** silly and white’.
That was captured on a bodycam worn by PC Lovell.
At that time, PC Lovell determined to arrest Kerr for prison injury and ‘racially aggravated public order’.
Shortly afterwards, Kerr and Ms Mewis agreed to pay for the injury and in order that was dropped.
Emlyn Jones KC stated Kerr’s feedback left PC Lovell feeling shocked, upset and humiliated.
The prosecution case is that these phrases had been clearly meant to trigger harassment, alarm or misery to PC Lovell.
He stated Kerr identifies herself as white anglo-Indian, which was vital within the context of the case.
Grace Forbes, Kerr’s lawyer, informed the court docket that no one disputes the phrases had been stated however added, “That doesn’t make you responsible of a prison offence”.
She stated: “The regulation is a bit more nuanced and a bit extra human than that.”
She added: “If you look previous the headlines and on the proof, Kerr didn’t really feel hostile in the direction of this officer as a result of he was white.”
She stated the remark, nonetheless poorly expressed, was about positions of energy, privilege and the way these issues would possibly have an effect on notion.
The 31-year-old, who was wearing a black shirt and trousers, denies intending to trigger harassment, alarm or misery or that any offence was racially aggravated.
Kerr is captain of Australia and is likely one of the sport’s greatest and most recognisable stars.
The Chelsea striker has been instrumental within the membership’s success since becoming a member of in 2019, profitable the Ladies’s Tremendous League 5 instances and the Ladies’s FA Cup thrice. She has scored 99 objectives in 128 matches for the membership.
She has been recovering from an anterior cruciate ligament damage for the previous yr, having sustained the intense knee damage throughout a warm-weather coaching camp in Morocco firstly of January final yr.
Her damage additionally dominated her out of the Paris Olympic Video games in the summertime.
In June, she signed a contract extension to remain at Chelsea for an extra two years. She is anticipated to return from damage in round two months.
Kerr’s dad and mom, Roger and Roxanne, had been current at court docket.
The trial at Kingston Crown Court docket, which is scheduled to final 4 days, continues.
This text initially appeared in .
Chelsea, NWSL, UK Ladies’s Soccer
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