Australian football player Sam Kerr tells racism trial UK police treated her differently

Australia women's football captain Sam Kerr testified in a London court on Wednesday, stating she believed British police treated her differently because of her skin color during an altercation last year.

Kerr, 31, who has Indian ancestry, is on trial for racially aggravated harassment after allegedly telling a white police officer: "You guys are fucking stupid and white."

While accepting she said the words, Kerr has pleaded not guilty, with her lawyer arguing that her comment was about power and privilege rather than race.

‘I felt powerless’

Speaking at Kingston Crown Court, Kerr described feeling "terrified for my life" after a dispute with a cab driver on January 30, 2023.

She claimed the driver began driving erratically when she fell ill and spat out of the car window. When the driver refused to take them home, her partner, West Ham United player Kristie Mewis, kicked the rear window in an attempt to escape.

Kerr said police sided with the driver, making her feel "powerless".

"I believed they were treating me differently based on what they perceived to be the color of my skin," she told the jury.

Argument with police

Asked how she felt watching footage of her confrontation with police, Kerr admitted:

"It's honestly really hard to watch myself act like that. I don't normally act like that, so I'm quite embarrassed."

However, she stood by her belief that officers were biased against her, adding:

"I expressed myself poorly at that moment, for sure... but I felt they were treating me differently and not believing me."

Earlier in court, Kerr shared that she and Mewis plan to marry in December, and that Mewis is pregnant with their first child, a boy due in May 2024.

Kerr, Australia’s all-time leading goal scorer (69 goals), has been sidelined since January 2024 due to an ACL injury. Her trial is expected to conclude this week.