'I wish I'd just walked away and gone home': Kerr tells court amid trial

Australian women's soccer captain Sam Kerr is on trial in London, where she admitted to being drunk, angry, and scared at the time, stating she should have "just walked away and gone home" to avoid a confrontation with London police that ultimately led to her arrest. In a recorded interview after her arrest in the early hours of January 30, 2023, Kerr expressed her wish that she had simply gone home and dealt with the matter the next morning.

Kerr, dressed in a beige top and dark coat, appeared at London's Kingston Crown Court with her parents, Roger and Roxanne, and brother, Levi, for the second day of her trial on charges of racially aggravated harassment. The charge carries a maximum sentence of 26 weeks in prison. The jury is composed of eight women and four men.

Previously, Constable Stephen Lovell refuted claims by Kerr's lawyer, Grace Forbes, that his assertion that Kerr calling him a "stupid white bastard" made him feel alarmed was "purely to get a criminal charge." Constable Lovell's initial statement did not mention that Kerr's abuse had impacted him. He added this detail in a second statement, 11 months later, after requesting a review of the Crown Prosecution Service's decision not to prosecute.

Kerr, 31, was arrested after events escalated following an evening out celebrating a hat-trick for Chelsea with her partner, US soccer international Kristie Mewis. The Crown Prosecution Service initially decided not to charge Kerr. The court heard that Constable Lovell only provided a statement claiming Kerr's words caused alarm or distress after the Crown Prosecution Service made its decision not to prosecute.

The court heard that a taxi driver called the police to report that Kerr had vomited in his taxi and Mewis believed they were being kidnapped, breaking a passenger window. When police arrived, they found Kerr climbing out of the window with cuts and blood on her hands. The pair were described as "drunk, emotional and distressed" before being questioned at the police station, during which Kerr and her partner accused the police of believing the taxi driver over them.

Ultimately, when given the choice between paying for the fare and damages or being arrested for criminal damage and facing court, Kerr chose the latter. Prior to this, she twice called Constable Lovell a "stupid white bastard" and was arrested for a racially aggravated public order offense. The criminal damage charge was quickly dropped, and £900 ($1800) was paid.

In a police interview Kerr attended voluntarily and without a lawyer, she said: "I was obviously drunk. I should have just walked away, but I was feeling not protected at that moment. I was feeling very vulnerable." She said she "never meant to cause (Constable Lovell) alarm, distress or feel threatened" and added: "The whole situation was stressful for everyone, my partner was crying, I was crying, we were both distressed."

When asked what she would like to say to Constable Lovell, she replied: "Just 'sorry'. I understand he's doing his job. I apologise for them having to be there for so long, dealing with two very angry girls, in a situation that probably wasn't able to be resolved at that moment, so I apologise for the whole event."

In his second statement, made in December 2023, Constable Lovell said Kerr's words left him "shocked, and upset," and that he "immediately felt demeaned." He stated that bringing up his race "was a step too far, and I found it incredibly offensive." Kerr's lawyer suggested Constable Lovell "took an instant dislike to Ms Kerr" which he denied, but he admitted he was "determined to pursue this person."

Forbes also suggested that seeing Kerr playing for Australia at the Women's World Cup and being "all over the television" may have influenced his decision to challenge the decision not to prosecute the Australian captain, however, he said he was not a football fan and was unaware of the tournament. Constable Lovell did concede that the exchange with Kerr was at times "childish" and should have been curtailed, but he denied he had "preconceived that Kerr was a troublemaker, difficult and arrogant." The trial continues, and Kerr is expected to give evidence on Wednesday.