Chelsea star Sam Kerr is CLEARED of racially aggravated harassment against police officer

Chelsea striker Sam Kerr has been acquitted of racially aggravated harassment after calling Scotland Yard officer PC Stephen Lovell “stupid and white” during a dispute at a police station. The 31-year-old Australian footballer made the comments following an incident in January 2023 when she and her fiancée, Kristie Mewis, were taken to the station after a taxi dispute. Kerr told the jury she feared being kidnapped and argued that the officer failed to acknowledge his privileged position.

A jury at Kingston Crown Court found Kerr not guilty after just over four hours of deliberation. Legal experts questioned why a high-profile barrister, Bill Emlyn Jones KC, was assigned to prosecute, given the case’s low priority amid a backlog of 85,000 criminal cases. Former victims’ commissioner Dame Vera Baird also criticized the urgency of the case, arguing that more severe offenses should take precedence.

Despite the prosecution’s argument that Kerr’s words left PC Lovell feeling “shocked and humiliated,” the jury sided with the defense. Kerr, who has been sidelined with an ACL injury, appeared relieved after the verdict, giving a thumbs-up to her lawyer. The Crown Prosecution Service defended its decision to proceed with the case, stating there was sufficient evidence and public interest.