Matildas star Sam Kerr thanks partner Kristie Mewis after being cleared of racially aggravated harassment

Matildas captain and Chelsea striker Sam Kerr thanked her partner Kristie Mewis after she was found not guilty of causing racially aggravated harassment for calling a police officer “stupid and white”, after he doubted the her claim the pair were “held hostage” in a taxi.

Kerr, who has captained Australia’s women’s team since 2019, was charged after an incident during a taxi ride in the early hours of 30 January 2023.

The driver, who took the pair Twickenham Police Station, alleged they refused to pay clean-up costs after one of them was sick and that they smashed the vehicle’s rear window.

At the police station, Kerr was accused by PC Stephen Lovell of being “abusive and insulting” towards him, calling him “f**king stupid and white”.

The jury at Kingston Crown Court delivered its verdict after four hours of deliberation. Had she been found guilty, Kerr faced up to a maximum sentence of two years in prison for the charge.

In a statement released on Tuesday following the outcome of the case, Kerr said: “Following today’s not guilty verdict, I can finally put this challenging period behind me.

“While I apologise 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.”

She went on to thank West Ham star Mewis, who she is engaged to and expecting a baby with, as well as her family, friends and fans for “their love and support, especially those who attended court each day”.

“I am fully focused on getting back on to the pitch and look forward to an exciting year ahead for me and my family,” Kerr added.

During the trial it was outlined that the two women, who both play in the Women’s Super League, had been on a night out drinking prior to hailing a black cab.

Kerr said she had felt sick during the taxi ride, rolled down the window and leaned her head out and was sick. Whilst her head was resting on the window frame she said the driver rolled the window back up and a dispute, with the driver demanding the pair pay a clean up fee for the vomit.

Kerr and Mewis told the court that the taxi driver proceeded to lock the car’s doors and started speeding and swerving along the road, they said they felt “trapped” in the vehicle and were being “held against our will”.

Unbeknownst to the pair, the driver had called the police and was driving to the police station.

Around a minute-and-half before the car pulled up outside the station, Mewis smashed the rear window of the car with both her feet. Kerr has also called the emergency services on her mobile phone, telling the call handler the driver “won’t let us out of his cab”.

At the station, Kerr said officers were “dismissive” of their concerns for their safety and that they were held against their will by the driver, with Lovell questioning why someone was “going to rape and kill you would drive you to a police station”.

Kerr responded by calling Lovell a “white privileged person” and “white privileged man”.

“You guys are stupid and white, you guys are fucking stupid and white,” she said.

Following the trial, Football Australia issued a statement in which it called Kerr a key “figure in Australian football” and said it “will reflect” with her.

“Football Australia invests heavily in building the behavioural 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.

“Football Australia will reflect with Sam on learnings from this matter and we will continue to provide appropriate support for her moving forward.”

The sporting organisation also said it recognised 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,” the statement reads.