Sam Kerr, one of the world’s top female soccer players, was found not guilty Tuesday of racially aggravated harassment of a police officer.
Kerr, a striker for Australia and for English club Chelsea, accepted she called Police Constable Stephen Lovell “stupid and white” during a heated exchange at a police station after a night out in London in January 2023, but had denied that it amounted to the charge.
The verdict came after more than four hours of deliberations by a 12-person jury and on the seventh day of the trial at Kingston Crown Court in London.
“Following today’s not guilty verdict, I can finally put this challenging period behind me,” Kerr said in a statement posted on Instagram. “While I apologize for expressing myself poorly on what was a traumatic evening, I have always maintained that I did not intend to insult or harm anyone and I am thankful that the jury unanimously agreed.”
It is alleged Kerr and her fiancée, Kristie Mewis, a U.S. soccer player contracted to English team West Ham, had been out drinking when they were driven to the police station by a taxi driver, who complained that they refused to pay clean-up costs after one of them was sick, and that one of them smashed the vehicle’s rear window.
Kerr, who said she feared for her life as she felt “trapped” during the taxi ride, is alleged to have become abusive and insulting toward Lovell at the police station and used expletives while calling him “stupid and white.” During cross-examination in court, Kerr said she regretted the way she expressed herself and denied that calling Lovell “white” was used as an insult.
Kerr, who identifies as a white Anglo-Indian, said: “I believed it was him using his power and privilege over me because he was accusing me of being something I’m not … I was trying to express that due to the power and privilege they (the police) had, they would never have to understand what we had just gone through, and the fear we were having for our lives.”
After the jury reached its verdict, Judge Peter Lodder said of Kerr: “I take the view her own behavior contributed significantly to the bringing of this allegation. I don’t go behind the jury’s verdict but that has a significant bearing on the question of costs.”
Kerr’s trial has been headline news in Australia, with each day in court thoroughly dissected by the domestic media.
Debate over the charge has ranged from the validity of the allegation, to Kerr’s conduct while being interviewed by police.
Her position as captain of the Matildas, the much-loved national women’s soccer team, has been called into question by critics. Kerr is the captain and all-time leading scorer for Australia, with 69 goals since her debut in 2009.
Football Australia said it welcomed Kerr’s statement and that it will speak with her about the incident.
“Football Australia invests heavily in building the behavioral standards and expectations of all involved with our game, especially for all our national team players, where leadership comes with added responsibilities on and off the field,” a Football Australia statement said. “(We) will reflect with Sam on learnings from this matter and we will continue to provide appropriate support for her moving forward.”
The statement Wednesday also said that Football Australia “recognize the significant pressures that this matter has brought to Sam, Kristie, her family, and everyone involved, including the impact it’s had on the game.
“Throughout this period, Football Australia has remained committed to supporting Sam and will continue to do so as she focuses on her footballing career, rehabilitation from injury and return to play.”
Kerr joined Chelsea in 2019 and has scored 99 goals in 128 games for the London club, which is the defending English champion and a top contender for the Women’s Champions League title.
She hasn’t played since sustaining an ACL injury during a warm-weather training camp with Chelsea in Morocco in January 2024.
Kerr is expected to return in the coming weeks, in time to play for Australia in a pair of international friendlies against South Korea in April in the lead-up to the 2026 AFC Asian Cup.