Chelsea striker Sam Kerr repeatedly called a police officer ‘f****** stupid and white’ inside a police station after a night out, a court heard on Monday.

Kerr, 31, was present in court on the first day of her trial for an offence of causing racially aggravated intentional harassment, alarm or distress.

The incident happened at Twickenham police station, south-west London, in the early hours of January 30, 2023.

Bill Emlyn Jones KC, for the prosecution, told the court how Australia international Kerr and her partner, West Ham United and U.S. Women’s National Team player Kristie Mewis, had been on a night out.

At the end of the evening, they hailed a black cab and headed home.

However, the taxi driver ended up calling the police to complain about their behaviour, saying they were trying to smash the rear window. He claimed they refused to pay the costs of cleaning and repairing his taxi.

Instead of taking them home, he drove to Twickenham police station to seek the help of police officers.

There they were met at around 2:20am by PC Samuel Limb and PC Stephen Lovell, who saw Kerr climbing out of the broken rear window of the taxi.

The court was told how PC Lovell saw the rear window was smashed and the piece of plastic that separates the driver from the passengers had also been damaged. It also appeared one of the passengers had been sick, he said.

In the police station, in video evidence shown to the court, Kerr and her partner were seen telling officers they felt they were being held hostage in the taxi, were begging to get out and so broke the rear window to try to escape.

Kerr also claimed she had called the police.

They also repeatedly referenced the case of Sarah Everard, the 33-year-old woman who was abducted, raped and murdered by police officer Wayne Couzens in March 2021.

During this discussion, it is alleged Kerr became abusive towards PC Lovell and repeatedly said, ‘You guys are f****** stupid and white’.

That was captured on a bodycam worn by PC Lovell.

Emlyn Jones KC said Kerr’s comments left PC Lovell feeling shocked, upset and humiliated.

The prosecution case is that those words were clearly intended to cause harassment, alarm or distress to PC Lovell.

He said Kerr identifies herself as white anglo-Indian, which was significant in the context of the case.

Grace Forbes, Kerr’s lawyer, told the court that nobody disputes the words were said but added, “That does not make you guilty of a criminal offence”.

She said: “The law is a little more nuanced and a little more human than that.”

She added: “When you look past the headlines and at the evidence, Kerr did not feel hostile towards this officer because he was white.”

She said the comment, however poorly expressed, was about positions of power, privilege and how those things might affect perception.

The 31-year-old, who was dressed in a black shirt and trousers, denies intending to cause harassment, alarm or distress or that any offence was racially aggravated.

Kerr is captain of Australia and is one of the sport’s biggest and most recognisable stars.

The Chelsea striker has been instrumental in the club’s success since joining in 2019, winning the Women’s Super League five times and the Women’s FA Cup three times. She has scored 99 goals in 128 matches for the club.

She has been recovering from an anterior cruciate ligament injury for the past year, having sustained the serious knee injury during a warm-weather training camp in Morocco at the start of January last year.

Her injury also ruled her out of the Paris Olympic Games in the summer.

In June, she signed a contract extension to stay at Chelsea for a further two years. She is expected to return from injury in around two months.

Kerr’s parents, Roger and Roxanne, were present at court.

The trial at Kingston Crown Court, which is scheduled to last four days, continues.

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

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