Current and former Chelsea players, including Millie Bright and Carly Telford, and the team’s former manager, Emma Hayes, have come to Sam Kerr’s defence in court, describing her as “selfless” and a “truly special human”.
Kerr, 31, the captain of the Australian women’s football team and Chelsea’s star striker, is on trial at Kingston crown court accused of racially aggravated harassment after calling a police officer “fucking stupid and white” when he doubted her claim of being “held hostage” by a taxi driver in the early hours of 30 January 2023. She denies the charges.
On Friday, a number of figures from Chelsea Women provided character witness statements in support of Kerr, who was described as “one of the warmest, friendliest, kindest players” but an “introvert” off the pitch.
Carly Telford, a goalkeeper who played for Chelsea from 2017 to 2022, told the court she first met Kerr in 2012 when they played against each other in Australia.
At one point in the game, Telford “came out to punch a ball, and punched Sam instead”. They met up after the game and “had a good chat”, said Telford. “The fact she came and spoke to me, check in on me. She didn’t have to do that but it was a very nice thing to do.”
She said once Kerr had signed with Chelsea, the pair “became close friends”. She described how Kerr would interact with younger academy players. “That’s probably where you see someone like Sam shine the most. She’s the type of person who makes people feel very at ease. I think that’s why she gets on with everyone in the team,” she said.
She described Kerr as an “introverted extrovert” who, “on the pitch you see the skills, the back flips [but] away from pitch, she’s quite quiet and shy. Quite reserved”.
Telford said Kerr was “generous” with her money and considers how she can cover costs for the younger players on nights out “to make sure they can celebrate with us”.
Grace Forbes, defending Kerr, also read out a number of character witness statements provided in writing.
Millie Bright, the Chelsea and England defender, described Kerr as a “truly special human”.
“Sam is that person who connects with everyone and brings everyone together and puts a smile on everyone’s face. She’s a big believer in having the right environment at the club,” her statement said.
“She has the biggest heart of anyone I have ever met and do anything for anyone. There are not many people in the world who can bring people together like Sam. She is a truly special human,” said Bright.
Bright said that Kerr has a “great poker face” and that others “probably don’t know what she’s dealing with”. Bright added: “She doesn’t want to put her stresses on others so she deals with it behind the scenes.”
Emma Hayes, the former Chelsea manager and current head coach of the USA football team, described Kerr as “one of the warmest, friendliest, kindest and most considerate players” she had ever coached.
“She is calm and level-headed and mindful. She comes from a wonderful family. She has the biggest heart, she is a big kid at heart,” said Hayes. “I think she does well to manage everything that is thrown at her and the expectation that is placed on her.”
Erin Cuthbert, the Chelsea and Scotland midfielder, called Kerr a “great friend and teammate” who “has a unique knack of seeing the best in everyone”. She said they “immediately got on like a house on fire” after first meeting and “we find ourselves belly laughing often”.
“Sam takes part in charity work in Australia. Sam is a pivotal LGBT figure. Sam uses her platform to allow everyone to be accepted and she is no different in her personal life,” said Cuthbert. “That is why I’m lucky to call her my friend.”
Kerr’s mother, Roxanne, also provided a statement, called her daughter “the most humble, honest and loving person I know” who “will always fight for what is right”.
“I’m so proud of the woman she has become,” she added.
Making his closing argument, Bill Emlyn Jones for the prosecution, said that despite the words of former teammates, Kerr still called PC Stephen Lovell “fucking stupid and white”.
“It might make it surprising, it might make it sad but it doesn’t mean it didn’t happen,” he said.
He said Kerr’s claims about what had happened in the taxi did not make “one blind bit of difference to what this case is about” and said she was “drunk and angry” and “lashing out in a rage” that night.
Emlyn Jones said he would not suggest that Kerr is a “card-carrying racist” but asked the jury to consider a “hypothetic question”.
“What if PC Lovell had been a black man? What if she had called him fucking stupid and black,” he said. “It’s not really a fair question is it? Calling a white man white is not as loaded as calling a black man black.”
He added: “The fact remains that, in the heat of the moment, this was an insult delivered by reference to race and that is what the law prohibits.
“The law does not discriminate between different races when it comes to racist language.”
The defence will give its closing argument on Monday.
