Chelsea footballer Sam Kerr was cleared of the racially aggravated harassment of a police officer after a jury trial at Kingston Crown Court.
Her fiancée Kristie Mewis, who is expecting the couple’s baby later this year, broke down in tears in the well of the court after the verdict was read.
Kerr called PC Stephen Lovell ‘stupid and white’ during a heated row at Twickenham Police Station in January, 2023.
The Australian football star had made the comments after she and her fiancée Kristie Mewis had thought they were being kidnapped by a taxi driver following a night out in London.
Kerr re-affirmed that she had not ‘intended to insult or harm anyone’ with the comments after the trial.
‘Following today’s not guilty verdict, I can finally put this challenging period behind me,’ the Chelsea star said in a statement released this evening.
‘While I apologise for expressing myself poorly on what was a traumatic evening, I have always maintained that I did not intend to insult or harm anyone and I am thankful that the jury unanimously agreed.
‘I would like to thank my partner Kristie, my family, friends and all the fans for their love and support, especially those who attended court each day.’
Kerr has not played football for either Chelsea or the Matildas in over a year after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury in January 2024.
Chelsea boss Sonia Bompastor had hinted that the striker could be ready to return to action in February or March.
Kerr added: ‘I am fully focused on getting back on to the pitch and look forward to an exciting year ahead for me and my family.’
It also comes as Kerr and Mewis are expecting a baby later this year. They announced the news in November with the Chelsea star subsequently revealing during the trial that they were due to have a baby boy and that the pair had planned to get married in December.
The jury took four hours to reach a decision on the matter before Kerr was cleared.
PC Lovell had claimed that he felt ‘belittled and upset’ by Kerr following the alleged comments.
During the trial, Kerr denied using ‘whiteness as an insult’ following the incident that took place at the police station.
The court heard that Kerr and Mewis had got in a taxi following a night out in London, but Kerr vomited out of the window of the vehicle. She said the driver began to ‘drive dangerously’ leaving the pair distressed. Mewis had kicked the rear window of the taxi in an attempt to escape.
The driver called the emergency services and drove to Twickenham Police Station.
Reflecting on the argument in the police station, Kerr had accepted she had called PC Lovell ‘stupid and white’ but told the court: ‘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.’
A CPS spokesman said on the trial: ‘The Crown Prosecution Service’s function is not to decide whether a person is guilty of a criminal offence but to make fair, independent and objective assessments about whether it is appropriate to present charges for a jury to consider.
‘In this case, we decided that there was sufficient evidence and that it was in the public interest to proceed.
‘We respect the jury’s decision.
