Kerr denies 'whiteness as insult' against police

Chelsea striker Samantha Kerr has denied utilizing "whiteness arsenic an insult" successful an speech with constabulary astatine Twickenham station, wherever she called 1 serviceman "stupid and white".

The Australia planetary denies a complaint of causing racially aggravated harassment to PC Stephen Lovell during an incidental successful south-west London successful the aboriginal hours of 30 January 2023.

When it was enactment to her nether cross-examination astatine Kingston Crown Court that she "chose to amusement hostility" towards the serviceman "because of his whiteness", she said "that's not what I meant".

In evidence, Ms Kerr said she was "antagonised" by officers aft she was taken to the constabulary presumption by a taxi operator pursuing a dispute.

Ms Kerr was with her partner, West Ham midfielder Kristie Mewis, erstwhile the incidental allegedly happened.

The striker has antecedently told the tribunal the operator took the mates to Twickenham constabulary presumption aft she "spit vomited" retired of the model of his conveyance portion Ms Mewis smashed the rear model arsenic the operator had locked the doors.

At the station, Ms Kerr is alleged to person go "abusive and insulting" towards PC Lovell.

At the tribunal connected Thursday, Ms Kerr was asked by prosecutors if she was utilizing PC Lovell's "whiteness arsenic an insult".

She responded: "No, that's not what I meant."

Prosecutor Bill Emlyn Jones KC said to Ms Kerr: "At the infinitesimal of expressing your hostility to him due to the fact that of what you thought was his stupidity, you besides chose to amusement hostility towards him due to the fact that of his whiteness."

To which Ms Kerr replied: "That's not what I meant."

Mr Emlyn Jones replied: "It's what you did, isn't it?"

"It's what I did, yes," replied Ms Kerr.

In notation to her calling PC Lovell "stupid and white", the authoritative asked Ms Kerr: "What did his contention person to bash with anything?"

Ms Kerr replied: "I thought it was him utilizing his privilege and powerfulness implicit maine due to the fact that helium perceived maine to beryllium thing I'm not."

Later, she added: "I was trying to explicit that they would never, due to the fact that of their powerfulness and privilege, ever person to acquisition what we had conscionable gone through, successful fearfulness of our lives."

In cross-examination, Ms Kerr was besides asked wherefore she had mentioned Chelsea and her lawyers successful the speech with the constabulary officers astatine the station.

She said she was trying to "make myself consciousness protected, bluff".

Mr Emlyn Jones said to Ms Kerr that she was "throwing your value about", to which she replied "no".

He said determination was "no ground and nary evidence" for her accusation that the constabulary were motivated by contention during the incident.

She replied: "That's however I perceived it".

The tribunal previously heard connected Wednesday that she had sworn astatine the constabulary and said "this is simply a radical thing".

When asked astir these comments, Ms Kerr said: "I believed they were treating maine otherwise due to the fact that of what they perceived to beryllium the colour of my tegument – peculiarly PC Lovell's behaviour.

"The mode helium was accusing maine of lying, and aboriginal arresting maine for transgression harm adjacent though Kristie said it was conscionable her (who smashed the taxi's window).

"At the time, I thought they were trying to enactment it connected me."

She added connected Thursday: "(It was) the mode helium was responding to me, cutting maine off, names helium was calling me, being dismissive."

Ms Kerr besides said successful tribunal her cognition was shaped by however officers were treating her otherwise to her spouse Ms Mewis.

Ms Mewis besides gave grounds successful tribunal connected Thursday.

Speaking astir the travel with the taxi driver, she said she had not been driven that accelerated earlier and that it was "like thing I've experienced".

"I felt retired of power and similar idiosyncratic other had power implicit maine and that was evidently precise scary… I didn't cognize if it was a kidnapping oregon if we were going to crash.

"All of the horrible things you deliberation astir successful your head; I didn't cognize if that was going to happen," she told the court.

When asked astir however constabulary treated them aft the incident, Ms Mewis told the court: "PC Lovell was instantly dismissive. He wasn't believing what we were saying.

"We were saying we had been taken against our will, we couldn't get retired and (the driver) was driving similar brainsick … helium was dismissive successful a mode successful which helium didn't privation it to beryllium true.

"It felt a small spot similar gaslighting - the communicative repeated backmost was antithetic oregon they were manipulating it backmost onto us."

Asked if she noticed a quality betwixt the mode constabulary treated them, Ms Mewis said: "Yes. PC Lovell was much snide and shorter with Sam.

"He didn't judge what she was saying and dismissive with her."

In an speech with the prosecution astir calling the officers "stupid and white", Ms Mewis said: "I deliberation it was her information successful however she was feeling.

"I deliberation she has been treated differently, and spoken to otherwise for her full life.

"And I deliberation that she was feeling the aforesaid happening that she has felt earlier and the things I person seen."

The proceedings continues.