Chelsea FC star Sam Kerr was found not guilty of racially harassing a London police officer on Tuesday. A Kingston Crown Court jury acquitted the striker of all charges after four hours of deliberation.
The 31-year-old Australia national was tried for allegedly causing “racially aggravated harassment, alarm, or distress” to PC Stephen Lovell. The allegations followed a heated January 2023 dispute between a local taxi driver and Kerr and her fiancée, USWNT star Kristie Mewis.
Kerr, who identifies as Anglo-Indian, did not deny calling the officer “stupid and white.” Instead, she argued that the police treated her differently due to her skin color. Kerr called her words a “poorly” expressed comment on the officer’s “power and privilege.”
After the verdict, Kerr released her own statement on social media. “I can finally put this challenging period behind me,” she wrote.
“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.”
