New details about Sam Kerr emerge after alleged incident with police officer in UK

Sam Kerr reportedly spent time in a police cell on the night she called a police officer a “stupid white bastard”. THE Matilda captain charged for using insulting, threatening or abusive words that caused alarm or distress during an incident in Twickenham on January 30, 2023 in which she vomited in a taxi after a night out.

Kerr has pleaded not guilty to the charge and will be back in court for a pretrial hearing next month. And in a new twist, The Australian reported that Kerr spent time in a cell after the alleged incident. The new detail comes after The Australian also claimed that Kerr and her legal team would refute the fact that she said the word “bastard” and instead said “stupid white cop.”

Kerr was said to have celebrated a victory for club team Chelsea against Liverpool in the fourth round of the FA Cup, in which she scored a hat-trick of goals. She appeared in court last week via video link and pleaded not guilty to the charge of racially motivated harassment.

The drama surrounding the Matildas captain has been huge after Matildas coach Tony Gustavsson admitted last week that he was unaware of the incident until it was publicized. “The first time I heard about it was this morning,” Gustavsson said.

“I can be very clear that today was the very first time I heard about it.” Controversy surrounding the incident took off with a debate emerging in Australia over whether what Kerr allegedly said could be considered racist.

Debate breaks out over whether Sam Kerr's alleged insults are racist

Kerr's alleged incident sparked fierce debate over whether what she allegedly said could be considered racist. And a number of former Australian footballers and politicians spoke out. NSW Premier Chris Minns was asked the question last Thursday and simply replied: “No.”

Western Australian Premier Roger Cook said: “I don't think it's racist. Sam is a great West Australian. She has done so much for Western Australian sport and so much for women's and women's sports.”

Socceroos legend Robbie Slater has weighed in on the drama. “Without trivializing what she might have said, it seems like something stupid could have happened, it’s a weird thing,” Slater said. Sky News Australia. “I've been called a lot worse, I can tell you that.

“I think Sam may have had a bit too much in one evening and probably said something stupid, but a four-day trial – I mean, you'd walk into Downing Street court and I think you'd be out within the hour for something like that. You can't trivialize racism, but like I said, I was called much worse.

But One Nation MP Tania Mihailuk disagreed and claimed Minns would “lead the crowd” if the shoe was on the other foot. “The Prime Minister has just endorsed racism. He also presented himself as a total hypocrite, giving in to populism at the expense of good judgment,” Mihailuk wrote online.

“How can a prime minister approve of the use of such inappropriate language? What message does this send to our children from the head of our state? If the comments were reversed there would be a riot and the Prime Minister would lead the crowd.

Kerr's lawyers are reportedly seeking to have the charge downgraded or dropped altogether due to an “abuse of process”, after it took police 12 months to lay the charge. Kerr was informed of the charge on January 21 of this year and will stand trial in February 2025 if the case continues until then. She is due back in court in April for a pre-trial hearing. In the UK, convictions for harassment can include a sentence of up to two years in prison where the offense is racially or religiously aggravated.

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