Chelsea star Sam Kerr cleared of racially harassing Met officer

Chelsea striker Sam Kerr has been discovered not responsible of inflicting racially aggravated harassment, after calling a Metropolitan Police officer “silly and white”.

A jury at Kingston Crown Courtroom cleared her in relation to an incident in Twickenham, south-west London, on 30 January 2023.

Ms Kerr, 31, mentioned she was “antagonised” by officers after she was taken to a police station by a taxi driver following a dispute.

The Australian worldwide, who made the feedback to PC Stephen Lovell, didn’t deny utilizing the phrases “silly and white” however denied it amounted to a racial offence.

Ms Kerr gave a thumbs-up to her authorized group earlier than leaving the courtroom along with her fiancée Kristie Mewis.

Ms Kerr and Ms Mewis had been out consuming once they had been pushed to Twickenham Police Station by a taxi driver who complained that that they had refused to pay clean-up prices after one in every of them was sick and that one in every of them had smashed the car’s rear window.

Decide Peter Lodder KC mentioned: “I take the view her personal behaviour contributed considerably to the bringing of this allegation.

“I do not go behind the jury’s verdict however that has a big bearing on the query of prices.”

Through the trial, Ms Kerr mentioned she regretted the way in which she expressed herself however added: “I really feel the message was nonetheless related”.

She denied utilizing whiteness as an insult and claimed: “I believed it was him utilizing his energy and privilege over me as a result of he was accusing me of being one thing I am not.

“I used to be making an attempt to precise that because of the energy and privilege that they had, they might by no means have to know what we had simply gone by means of and the worry we had been having for our lives.”

It may well now be reported that Ms Kerr’s authorized group tried to get the case thrown out at a preliminary listening to, arguing there had been an abuse of course of by crown prosecutors.

Ms Kerr’s lawyer Grace Forbes mentioned the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) had violated its personal steerage, including {that a} “loophole” within the victims’ proper of overview scheme was used to justify prosecution proceedings a 12 months after the alleged offence.

Through the trial, it was put to PC Lovell that he solely offered a press release alleging that Ms Kerr’s feedback had triggered “alarm or harassment” after that call.

In his first assertion to the CPS, the officer made no point out of the “silly and white” remark having an influence on him, the jury was advised.

A second assertion from PC Lovell was offered in December 2023, mentioning the alleged influence.

He learn a bit of the assertion to the courtroom, which mentioned the feedback made him “shocked, upset, and (left) me feeling humiliated”.

The cost was authorised later in December 2023, nearly a 12 months after the incident.