Police Officer ‘Committed’ to Seeking Prosecution Against Chelsea Star Sam Kerr

During a hearing at a London court on Tuesday, a police officer expressed his commitment to pursuing the prosecution of Chelsea and Australian football star Sam Kerr (31) following her alleged remarks calling him “stupid and white”.

Kerr faces charges of racially aggravated harassment directed at police constable Stephen Lovell, stemming from an incident that occurred in southwest London in the early hours of January 30, 2023.

Reports suggest that Kerr and her partner, West Ham midfielder Kristie Mewis, had been enjoying a night out when a taxi driver brought them to a police station.

The driver claimed they refused to pay clean-up fees after one of the women was sick in the vehicle and that a rear window was broken.

According to evidence presented in Kingston Crown Court, the women alleged that the taxi driver was “acting erratically”, driving at high speeds, making abrupt stops, and locking them in the car for approximately 15 minutes.

Footage from Lovell’s body camera was shown to jurors, where Kerr expressed to Lovell and another police officer that she and Mewis felt “very scared” and were “trying to escape” the taxi at the time of the damage.

Once at the police station, it is alleged that Kerr, who identifies as of mixed race, became “abusive and insulting” towards Lovell, using profanity while labelling him “stupid and white”.

While Kerr acknowledges making these comments, she denies that they constitute the alleged offence.

Initially, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) opted not to charge Kerr, as noted in court.

It was suggested to Lovell that his statement indicating Kerr’s comments caused alarm or harassment was provided only after the CPS’s initial decision.

In his first communication to the CPS, he reportedly did not mention that the “stupid and white” remark had any effect on him, as the jury was informed.

Prosecutors approved the charges against Kerr following Lovell’s second statement in December 2023.

Lovell presented part of this statement in court, where he stated that Kerr’s comments made him “shocked, upset, and humiliated”.

Grace Forbes, representing Kerr, questioned Lovell on whether he was “determined to pursue” action against her.

Lovell responded affirmatively, and when asked if this was through the criminal courts, he confirmed it again.

Forbes highlighted that prosecutors had originally found insufficient evidence of harassment or alarm resulting from Kerr’s comments, suggesting that Lovell’s later statement was crafted to support a criminal charge.

During further questioning by prosecutor Bill Emlyn Jones, Lovell reiterated that Kerr’s words made him feel “belittled and upset”.

Kerr made her debut for Chelsea, the reigning Women’s Super League champions, in 2020 and is currently sidelined due to a knee injury.