Women’s Soccer Star Sam Kerr Pleads Not Guilty to ‘Racially Aggravated’ Harassment of U.K. Officer
A trial for the case has been scheduled for February 2025 at Wimbledon Magistrates Court
Australian soccer player Sam Kerr will be heading to trial after she pleaded not guilty to a “racially aggravated” harassment of a U.K. police officer.
The Chelsea FC star, 30, was charged with causing a police officer harassment, alarm or distress during an incident that took place on Jan. 30, 2023, the Crown Prosecution Service told the Associated Press.
During a hearing at the Kingston Upon Thames Crown Court on Monday, Kerr appeared on video and pleaded not guilty to the charge, and a trial for the case was scheduled for February 2025 at Wimbledon Magistrates Court, per the AP, CNN and The Guardian.
A Metropolitan Police spokesperson told CNN and The Guardian that the incident involving Kerr and the officer began when the officer responded to a “complaint involving a taxi fare” in Twickenham, southwest London.
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“[Kerr] was charged via postal charge requisition on 21 January with a racially aggravated offense under Section 4A Public Order Act 1986,” Metropolitan Police told the outlets.
Football Australia, for which Kerr serves as captain, said in a statement to CNN and The Guardian that it was “aware of the legal proceedings” involving the soccer player.
“As this is an ongoing legal matter, we are unable to provide further comment at this time,” the organization added. “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.”
Football Australia CEO James Johnson said during a press conference in Adelaide, per the AP, that the team was “trying to get to the bottom of it” and that they had their “own questions we would like to know.”
“They are serious allegations. At the same time, Sam has rights — natural justice rights, procedural rights — that she has to work her way through and we respect that,” he said.
The U.K. Metropolitan Police, Football Australia and Chelsea Football Club did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
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Kerr joined the Chelsea team midway through its 2019-2020 season. She recently sat out the last few games after rupturing her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) during training in January, per CNN. During her tenure on the team so far, she has scored 99 goals in 128 games.
She has also helped lead the Australia women’s soccer team to a soccer World Cup semifinal in 2023 and is the country’s all-time leading scorer in international soccer, according to CNN and the AP.
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