Chelsea and Australia striker Sam Kerr has denied using “whiteness as an insult” against a police officer during a heated exchange in London. Kerr, 31, is on trial for allegedly causing racially aggravated harassment to police constable Stephen Lovell.
The incident occurred on February 7, after Kerr and her partner, West Ham midfielder Kristie Mewis, were driven to a police station by a taxi driver who complained they had refused to pay clean-up costs after one of them vomited. At the police station, Kerr allegedly became “abusive and insulting” towards Lovell, calling him “stupid and white”.
When asked by prosecutors if she was using Lovell’s “whiteness as an insult”, Kerr responded, “No, that’s not what I meant.” She explained that she was trying to express that due to the power and privilege they had, they would never have to understand what she and Mewis had just gone through during the taxi ride.
Kerr’s partner, Mewis, broke down in tears on the witness stand, saying she “felt fear for my life” during the drive and accused police of “gaslighting” the couple. Mewis said Kerr was “speaking her truth” when she used the words “stupid and white”, and that she had seen Kerr treated differently in the past.
The trial continues, with Kerr facing charges of causing racially aggravated harassment.
