Footballer in the dock for racism

Australian captain Sam Kerr who has Indian ancestry, has pleaded not guilty to one count of racially aggravated harassment.

Accused of racially abusing a white police officer after a drunken dispute with a cab driver, Australian women's soccer captain Sam Kerr went on trial in a London court on Monday,

Kerr, who plays for Chelsea in the Women's Super League, told the officer Stephen Lovell: 'You guys are fucking stupid and white.'

The 31-year-old, who has Indian ancestry, accepts saying those words but has pleaded not guilty to one count of racially aggravated harassment. Her lawyer argued she was making a comment about power and privilege.

Kerr sat in the dock at Kingston Crown Court as prosecutor Bill Emlyn Jones told jurors that she and her partner Kristie Mewis, who plays for West Ham United, hailed a London black cab in the early hours of January 30, 2023 after a night out.

"Their cab journey did not go well," Emlyn Jones said.

"The cabbie ended up phoning the police to complain about their behaviour, reporting that they were trying to smash a window."

The taxi driver took them to a police station instead of Kerr's home, with Kerr telling officers that she had vomited out of the cab window at which point the driver became aggressive.

Kerr crawled out of the broken rear window of the cab and she and Mewis went into the police station, where Kerr made the comment about Lovell's ethnicity, Emlyn Jones said. He added Kerr and Mewis later agreed to pay for the damage to the taxi.

Kerr attended the police station the following day for a voluntary interview, Emlyn Jones said. When asked if she thought her words could be perceived as racist, Kerr replied: "I am aware that anything can be perceived as racist for sure."

He added that there was no dispute over what Kerr said, telling the jury they must decide what she meant and how it made Lovell feel.

SOCIAL COMMENT?

Kerr's lawyer Grace Forbes said Kerr's words did not make her a criminal.

"Sam Kerr did not feel hostility to the officer because he is white," Forbes said. "The words were a comment, we say – however poorly expressed – about positions of power, about privilege and about how those things might colour perception."

Jurors were played footage of Kerr and Mewis speaking to officers inside the station, with Kerr shouting that the cab driver was "holding us hostage".

She also said at one point that she would "get the fucking Chelsea lawyers on this".

Lovell gave evidence that Kerr referred to how much money she had, which he said was "like I was trying to be belittled". He also said Kerr's words had upset him.

Kerr is one of the world's top female strikers and Australia's all-time top scorer with 69 goals, but has been sidelined since suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury in January 2024.

Her trial is expected to conclude this week. Forbes told jurors Kerr will give evidence in her defence.