Chelsea and Australia football star Sam Kerr has been found not guilty of causing racially aggravated harassment after an altercation with police in southwest London.

‍

The 31-year-old striker was charged after an incident on 30 January 2023, when she and her partner, West Ham midfielder Kristie Mewis, were taken to Twickenham Police Station following a dispute with a taxi driver.

Kingston Crown Court heard that the couple had been out drinking when the taxi driver complained they refused to pay for clean-up costs after one of them was sick in his vehicle. The situation escalated when the rear window of the taxi was smashed, prompting the driver to take them to the police station.

Once there, Kerr was accused of verbally abusing PC Stephen Lovell, allegedly calling him "f***** stupid and white."* Prosecutors claimed the comment amounted to racially aggravated harassment, but Kerr denied any racial intent, insisting she was expressing frustration at what she perceived as an abuse of power.

During the trial, Kerr admitted regretting her language but maintained: "I feel the message was still relevant." She argued that she and Mewis had felt "trapped" in the taxi and "dismissed" by police, adding: "I believed they were treating me differently because of what they perceived to be the colour of my skin—particularly PC Lovell's behaviour."

Kerr also contested her arrest for criminal damage, asserting that Mewis alone was responsible for breaking the taxi’s window. "At the time, I thought they were trying to put it on me," she said.

Judge Peter Lodder KC, while respecting the jury’s verdict, remarked that Kerr’s "own behaviour contributed significantly to the bringing of this allegation," which influenced his ruling on case costs.