A Metropolitan Police officer at the center of Sam Kerr’s trial did not initially mention being affected by her alleged comments in his first statement, a court heard. Instead, he added this claim in a second statement nearly a year later, after the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) initially declined to press charges.
Kerr, 31, is accused of calling PC Stephen Lovell “fucking stupid and white” at Twickenham police station following a dispute with a taxi driver in January 2023. She had reported feeling “held hostage” by the driver after a night out with her partner, Kristie Mewis. Initially, the CPS determined there was insufficient evidence to proceed with charges. However, a second statement from Lovell, submitted 11 months later, led to Kerr being charged with racially aggravated intentional harassment. She denies the allegations.
During cross-examination, Kerr’s defense barrister, Grace Forbes, pointed out that Lovell’s first statement made no reference to the alleged remarks having any impact on him. Lovell confirmed that this was true. Forbes suggested that the officer had only submitted the second statement after the CPS initially declined to charge Kerr, implying he did so to push the case forward. Lovell denied this.
Forbes also questioned whether Lovell had made assumptions about Kerr’s character, suggesting he viewed her as an “arrogant” troublemaker due to her profession. Lovell initially claimed he was unaware of Kerr’s career but later admitted he learned she was a footballer from a colleague.
The case stemmed from an altercation between Kerr and a taxi driver over a cleaning fee after one of the passengers was sick in the cab. Footage from body-worn cameras was referenced in court, with Forbes highlighting an exchange where Lovell dismissed the idea of arresting the driver while Kerr and Mewis were detained.
Additionally, footage showed Lovell addressing Kerr as “young missy,” which he defended as an attempt to maintain control of the situation.
The prosecution presented Lovell’s second statement, in which he described feeling “shocked, upset, and humiliated” by Kerr’s remarks, stating that they “went too far.” Other officers provided statements claiming Kerr had made repeated comments about “white privilege,” including calling one officer a “literal white privilege man.”
In an audio recording of her police interview, Kerr acknowledged being intoxicated during the incident and admitted to vomiting out of the taxi window. She claimed the driver became aggressive and drove dangerously, prompting her to activate an emergency alert on her phone.
Initially, she denied making the alleged comments, but after being shown footage, she acknowledged them while expressing regret. She stated that she had felt threatened and did not believe she was protected at the police station, as she had only interacted with male officers. When asked if her comments could be considered racist, she admitted that “anything can be perceived as racist.”
Kerr expressed remorse over the incident, saying she wished she had walked away and handled the situation differently. The trial is ongoing.
