
Chelsea striker Samantha Kerr called a Met Police officer "stupid and white" during an incident at a police station in south-west London, a jury has been told.
The Australian footballer is on trial charged with causing racially aggravated harassment to PC Stephen Lovell, in the early hours of 30 January 2023.
It is alleged that Ms Kerr and her partner, fellow footballer Kristie Mewis, had been out drinking when they were driven to Twickenham police station by a taxi driver who complained the passengers refused to pay clean-up costs after one of them was sick, and that one of them smashed the vehicle's rear window.
Ms Kerr, 31, denies any wrongdoing.
At the police station, Ms Kerr is alleged to have become "abusive and insulting" towards PC Stephen Lovell.
Footage from the officer's body worn camera was played to a jury sitting at Kingston Crown Court on Monday, in which Ms Kerr uses an expletive and tells the officer he was "stupid and white".
Prosecution barrister Bill Emlyn Jones KC told the jury the comments left PC Lovell "shocked, upset, and humiliated".
Ms Kerr described the entire situation as distressing and "a heated moment".
Grace Forbes, defending, said: "Nobody disputes the words that were said.
"But simple words, even words like these, do not make you guilty of a criminal offence."
She added: "The words were a comment, however poorly expressed, about positions of power, about privilege, and how those things might colour perception."
Comments
Post a Comment