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Sam Kerr
Sam Kerr arrives at Kingston Crown Court, where she is charged with alleged racially aggravated harassment of a police officer. Image: Getty Images

Sam Kerr appears in court for trial over alleged racially aggravated harassment

Matildas captain Sam Kerr has appeared for the first day of a criminal trial in the UK where she is accused of the racially aggravated harassment of a police officer.

In court on Monday, local time, bodycam footage worn by Police Constable (PC) Stephen Lovell was played to the jury of the alleged incident.

Part of the 30-minute footage captured Kerr saying, “You guys are f***king stupid and white, you guys are f***ing stupid and white”.

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Kerr pleaded not guilty to the charge.

In court, Kerr’s counsel, Grace Forbes, said they weren’t disputing the words, but rather the meaning behind them.

“When you look past the headline and hear further evidence, you will see that Samantha Kerr didn’t feel hostile towards this officer because he was white,” Ms Forbes said.

“It was about positions of power, of privilege and about how those things might colour perception.”

The incident

On January 30, 2023, Kerr and her partner, Kristie Mewis, hailed down a taxi after a night out in London.

Police alleged the pair were taken to a police station by the driver, who said they refused to pay clean-up costs after one of them was sick. It’s also alleged one of them had smashed the vehicle’s rear window.

At the station, Kerr and Mewis told police they thought they were being “kidnapped” by the driver after they began driving in a different direction to their home.

“We called police as well, we were held hostage in that cab,”  Kerr said in court.

“When a male is driving a f*cking car fast with two women, it’s f*cked, it is f*cking scary.”

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