"I am thankful": Chelsea striker Sam Kerr apologises after not guilty verdict

The Australia international made the comments to PC Stephen Lovell during an incident in south-west London in the early hours of January 30 2023.

Kerr, 31, and her partner, West Ham midfielder Kristie Mewis, had been out drinking when they were driven to Twickenham Police Station by a taxi driver who complained that they had refused to pay clean-up costs after one of them was sick and that one of them had smashed the vehicle’s rear window.

At the police station, Kerr became “abusive and insulting” towards PC Lovell, calling him “f****** stupid and white”.

A jury returned the not guilty verdict on Tuesday after deliberating for around four hours and 17 minutes at Kingston Crown Court since the previous day. On Tuesday evening, Kerr issued a statement which read: “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.

“I would like to thank my partner Kristie, my family, friends and all the 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.”

During the trial, the court heard how Kerr had accepted later calling PC Lovell “stupid and white” during a heated exchange but denied that it amounted to the charge. She said she regretted the way she expressed herself but added: “I feel the message was still relevant”.

She denied using “whiteness as an insult” and added: “I believed it was him using his power and privilege over me because he was accusing me of being something I’m not - I was trying to express that due to the power and privilege they had, they would never have to understand what we had just gone through and the fear we were having for our lives.”