Chelsea Star Sam Kerr Claims She’s Treated Differently Due to Her ‘Skin Colour’

Chelsea and Matildas star Sam Kerr opens up about facing differential treatment because of her skin colour. Read more about her experiences and statements. 

On Wednesday, Chelsea striker Sam Kerr testified in court that she was treated differently by the police “because of the color of my skin” after experiencing a situation with a taxi driver where she feared for her life.

The captain of the Australia team, who is of mixed race, is on trial for allegedly causing racially aggravated harassment towards police officer Stephen Lovell during an incident that occurred in south-west London early on January 30, 2023.

Kerr, 31, and her partner Kristie Mewis, a West Ham midfielder, were reportedly out drinking when they took a taxi to Twickenham police station. The driver claimed the pair refused to pay for clean-up costs after one of them became ill in the vehicle and also allegedly damaged its rear window.

The court heard on Tuesday that Kerr had acted in an “abusive and insulting” manner towards Lovell, referring to him as “stupid and white.”

However, when Kerr testified on Wednesday, he stated: “I felt that the officers were treating me differently because of their perception of my skin color—particularly PC Lovell’s behavior.”

“He accused me of lying and later arrested me for criminal damage, even though Kristie admitted she was the one who smashed the taxi’s window. At the time, I felt they were trying to pin it on me.”

Earlier on Wednesday, Kerr testified to the jury that she had leaned her head out of the window when she started feeling ill. At that moment, the driver “rolled it up” and then began driving in what she described as a “dangerous manner.”

She mentioned that the dangerous driving persisted for 15 to 20 minutes and said, “I was terrified for my life. My mind raced with thoughts about being in a car with someone I considered dangerous. There was no reasoning with him; it had to be his way or nothing.”

Kristie asked him to pull over, but he continued driving as before. We were completely lost and Kristie was extremely upset; she cried in fear like I’d never seen her do before, which only heightened my own anxiety.

Kerr mentioned that they attempted multiple times to open the doors and windows, but all remained locked.

Mewis ultimately “kicked out the window with her boot,” which left Kerr feeling “relieved.”

However, she mentioned, “We didn’t exit immediately because the car was still in motion.”

Kerr debuted for the reigning Women’s Super League champions, Chelsea, in 2020. She is presently sidelined due to a knee injury.