A Met Police officer has mentioned he was “determined to pursue” the prosecution of Chelsea footballer Sam Kerr after she known as him “stupid and white”, a court docket has heard.
Australia worldwide Kerr is on trial charged with inflicting racially aggravated harassment to PC Stephen Lovell throughout an incident in south-west London within the early hours of January 30, 2023.
It’s alleged that Kerr, 31, and her companion, West Ham midfielder Kristie Mewis, had been out consuming once they have been pushed to Twickenham Police Station by a taxi driver who complained that that they had refused to pay clean-up prices after one in every of them was sick, and that one in every of them smashed the automobile’s rear window.
The ladies informed officers the driving force had been “acting in a crazy way” by driving very quick, repeatedly stopping and rushing up once more, locking them within the automobile, and refusing to allow them to go for about quarter-hour, Kingston Crown Courtroom heard because the trial continued on Tuesday.
Footage from PC Lovell’s body-worn digicam was beforehand performed to jurors, by which Kerr tells PC Lovell and PC Samuel Limb that she and Ms Mewis have been “very scared” and “trying to escape” the cab once they broken the automobile.
On the police station Kerr is alleged to have develop into “abusive and insulting” in direction of PC Lovell, calling him “stupid and white”.
Kerr accepts making the feedback however denies that they quantity to the cost.
The Crown Prosecution Service initially determined to not cost Kerr, the court docket heard.
It was put to PC Lovell that he solely supplied an announcement alleging that Ms Kerr’s feedback had induced alarm or harassment after that call.
In his first assertion to the CPS, the officer made no point out of the “stupid and white” remark having an impression on him, the jury was informed.
Police submitted a request to assessment the CPS choice to not prosecute, and it responded that the result could be restricted to an apology, the court docket heard.
Prosecutors later requested additional proof and a second assertion from PC Lovell was supplied in December 2023, mentioning the alleged impression.
He learn a bit of the assertion to the court docket which mentioned the feedback made him “shocked, upset, and (left) me feeling humiliated”.
The cost was authorised later in December 2023, almost a yr after the incident.
Grace Forbes, defending Kerr, mentioned throughout cross-examination: “The only reason you made that statement was because the Crown Prosecution Service had declined to authorise a criminal charge to prosecute Ms Kerr.”
He responded “no” earlier than agreeing that officers have been coping with whether or not to pursue prosecution in August 2023.
“Throughout July and August 2023, the Women’s World Cup was playing,” the defence lawyer mentioned.
PC Lovell responded: “If you say so, yes.”
Ms Forbes mentioned “Ms Kerr was playing for her country” and “she would have been all over TV – do you recall seeing her?”
The officer denied seeing the striker on TV earlier than the defence barrister mentioned “this person who made you feel unimportant”.
She added: “You were determined to pursue this person, weren’t you?”
PC Lovell mentioned “yes” and Ms Forbes requested “through the criminal courts?”
The officer mentioned “yes” once more.
Ms Forbes famous that the CPS had initially discovered no proof of harassment or alarm brought on by Kerr’s feedback, and recommended PC Lovell’s second assertion described their impact “purely to get a criminal charge over the line”.
Throughout re-examination by prosecutor Invoice Emlyn Jones KC, PC Lovell informed the jury that being known as “f****** stupid” had made him really feel “belittled and upset”.
Requested the way it felt being known as “f****** stupid and white”, he mentioned “it felt very unnecessary”.
Mr Jones requested if his race had “any relevance as far as you can see to what was going on”, and PC Lovell mentioned “no” and later added that the reference to him being white “upset me, I guess”.
The prosecutor requested: “Is that correct, PC Lovell, that you just made something up to get a charge over the line?”, and he replied: “No, I didn’t make it up to get a charge over the line.”
The trial continues.
