Chelsea and Australia soccer star Sam Kerr has pleaded not guilty to a charge of racially aggravated harassment of a police officer in London. The 30-year-old forward is accused of using insulting, threatening or abusive words that caused alarm or distress to an officer who was responding to a complaint over a taxi fare in Twickenham, south-west London, on 30 January 2023.
Kerr to face trial in February 2025
Kerr appeared at Kingston crown court via video link on Monday and entered a not guilty plea to the charge, the Daily Mail reported. She is expected to go to trial in February 2025 with two police officers scheduled to give evidence. The trial is due to last four days.
The charge relates to an incident involving a police officer who was responding to a complaint involving a taxi fare on 30 January 2023 in Twickenham, a Metropolitan Police spokesperson said. Kerr was charged on 21 January “with a racially aggravated offence under Section 4A [of the] Public Order Act 1986”, they added.
Kerr is among the biggest names in Australian sport, and overcame a calf injury to dazzle at last year’s World Cup. She is Australia’s all-time leading scorer with 69 goals and joined Chelsea in 2020.
Kerr’s injury and achievements
The striker is currently sidelined after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury during Chelsea’s warm weather training camp in Morocco in January. She has scored 99 goals in 128 matches since joining Chelsea in 2019, and is her country’s all-time record goalscorer with 64 goals in 125 games.
During her time at Chelsea, Kerr has won four WSL titles, three FA Cups, two Women’s League Cups and the Women’s Community Shield. She has also won the Golden Boot award in three different continents — the W-League in Australia and New Zealand, the NWSL in North America and the Women’s Super League in Europe.
In January 2022, Kerr outranked Tim Cahill to become the highest-scoring player for Australia. Western Australia’s $50.8 million State Football Centre was officially renamed the Sam Kerr Football Centre last October to honour her success and legacy in the football world.
Football Australia’s statement
In a statement, the sport’s governing body Football Australia said it was aware of the legal proceedings involving Sam Kerr in the United Kingdom.
“As this is an ongoing legal matter, we are unable to provide further comment at this time. Our focus remains on supporting all our players, both on and off the field. We will continue to monitor the situation and provide support as appropriate,” the statement said.
