Sam Kerr denies using 'white' was an insult to police officer

Australian women's national soccer team captain Sam Kerr, while being questioned during her trial for alleged racially aggravated harassment, denied that calling a police officer "white" was intended as an insult. Kerr insisted that her remarks were not racially motivated but rather a response to how she felt in the situation at the time. This highlights the complexities surrounding the incident and Kerr's perspective.

Kerr's trial entered its fourth day at Kingston Crown Court, with the case stemming from an incident in London on January 30, 2023. It is alleged that Kerr and her partner, West Ham United midfielder Kristie Mewis, took a taxi after a night of drinking, and the taxi driver took them to the police station because they refused to pay a cleaning fee (due to one of them vomiting) and one of them smashed the vehicle's rear window. The circumstances surrounding the taxi ride are key to understanding the events that followed.

Kerr claimed that she felt "trapped" in the taxi and, as a result, feared for her life. It is alleged that at the police station, Kerr abused and insulted Police Officer Stephen Lovell, calling him "stupid and white." Kerr admitted to making the remarks but denied that they constituted the crime she is charged with. The core of the legal dispute centers on the intent and interpretation of these specific words.

Prosecutors questioned Kerr on whether she used Lovell's "whiteness as an insult" during a heated argument with the officer at the police station. Kerr replied, "No, I did not mean it like that." Kerr added that she believed Officer Lovell was using his power and privilege against her because he was accusing her of something she did not do. She said she was trying to express that because of the power and privilege they possessed, they would never understand what they had just gone through and their fear for their lives. This sheds light on Kerr's justification for her behavior.

When asked if she thought Lovell was "stupid because he was white," Kerr replied, "No." The court had previously heard that Kerr had told police "this is a race... thing." When asked about these comments, Kerr said, "I think (they) treated me differently because they assumed my skin color – specifically Officer Lovell's behavior." She added, "(It was) the way he responded to me, interrupting me, the way he called my name, and his dismissive attitude." Kerr also claimed that her perception was influenced by the different way the police treated her and Mewis. These claims suggest that Kerr felt unfairly targeted.