Sam Kerr, Australia’s women’s football captain, was found not guilty on Tuesday of racially insulting a British police officer following a quarrel with a cab driver. Kerr, who is of Indian descent, referred to officer Stephen Lovell as “stupid and white” after police were called to a drunken altercation with a cab driver in the early hours of January 30, 2023. The 31-year-old, a top female striker who plays for Chelsea in the Women’s Super League, admitted to saying those things but disputed one count of racially aggravated harassment. Her counsel said she was making a joke about power and privilege, and Kerr testified that she felt police treated her differently because of her skin colour. “I stated myself terribly… the point is I The point I was trying to get across was that I thought they were treating me differently, not believing me, and treating me as if I had done something wrong,” Kerr told the jury. Kerr was acquitted following a trial at Kingston Crown Court, raising questions about her future as Australian captain and the decision to charge her. Geoffrey Robertson, an Australian human rights lawyer, argued in the Sydney Morning Herald that the matter should not have gone to trial, and Sports Minister Anika Wells told Sky News Australia that Kerr had “Australia behind her”.

No emotion.

The Crown Prosecution Service, which authorized the charge, stated: “In this case, we determined that there was sufficient evidence and that it was in the public interest to continue. “We appreciate the jury’s judgment. A spokeswoman for Kerr did not immediately respond to the verdict. Kerr remained emotionless as the verdict was read following around four hours of deliberation, while her partner Kristie Mewis sobbed in the public gallery. Kerr gave her lawyer, Grace Forbes, a thumbs up before exiting the dock. Kerr’s trial focused on the aftermath of a night out that finished with Kerr and Mewis, a West Ham United player, booking a London black cab to Kerr’s home.

Instead, the driver drove them to a police station, where Kerr testified that the driver began behaving strangely when she became unwell and spat out the window. Both Kerr and Mewis stated that they believed they were being kept hostage, with Mewis kicking in the cab’s back glass in an attempt to flee just before arriving at the station. Lovell testified that he was disturbed by the statement and refuted an allegation made by Kerr’s lawyer Forbes that he claimed to be upset solely to obtain a criminal prosecution. Kerr, Australia’s all-time leading goal scorer with 69, has not played since sustaining an anterior cruciate ligament injury in January 2024.