LONDON – Sam Kerr, the Chelsea forward and captain of the Australian women’s national soccer team, testified in court about a frightening incident that occurred while she was in a taxi. Kerr expressed that she felt her life was in danger during the ride, as she and her partner, West Ham midfielder Kristie Mewis, went through a distressing situation, leaving Mewis in tears and frightened.

The 31-year-old athlete is currently facing trial for allegations of racially aggravated harassment against police constable Stephen Lovell. This incident took place in the early hours of January 30, 2023, in southwest London. According to reports, Kerr and Mewis had been out consuming alcohol when a taxi driver brought them to the Twickenham Police Station. The driver claimed that the pair refused to pay for damages after one of them vomited, as well as having supposedly smashed a rear window of his vehicle.

Once at the police station, Kerr is accused of being “abusive and insulting” toward PC Lovell, making remarks that he described as “stupid and white.” Although Kerr acknowledges that she made those comments, she contests that they do not constitute the charges against her.

During her testimony, Kerr recounted a particularly alarming experience while in the taxi. She indicated that she began to feel ill and felt compelled to stick her head out of the window. However, the driver rolled the window up and began driving in a dangerous manner. According to her statement, this erratic driving lasted approximately 15 to 20 minutes, and she felt truly scared for her life. “We were not in control…I deemed him to be dangerous because of the driving but also because he could have taken us anywhere. He couldn’t be tracked, so no one knew where we were,” she noted.

Kerr described attempts to escape from the vehicle, stating that they tried to open the windows and doors repeatedly, but they remained locked. It was Mewis who eventually “kicked out (the window) with her boot” in their efforts to escape.

At the trial, video footage from PC Lovell’s body camera was shown, where Kerr expressed to the officers that both she and Mewis were “very scared” and trying to avoid the situation when the damage to the taxi occurred. Furthermore, during her time at the police station, Kerr referenced the tragic case of Sarah Everard, who was murdered by a police officer in 2023. She highlighted their fear by mentioning a “girl in Clapham” who “got raped and killed,” acknowledging that while it wasn’t PC Lovell’s doing, they were still frightened.

Kerr, who was born in Perth, added to her testimony by bringing up the case of the Claremont serial killer, stating, “I lived in a state where for 30 years there was a serial killer that was thought to have been a taxi driver. Everyone was talking about not getting in a taxi.”

The trial is ongoing as it continues to unfold.