Chelsea and Australia striker Sam Kerr cleared of racially aggravated harassment of UK police officer

Chelsea striker Sam Kerr has been cleared of causing racially aggravated harassment after calling a Metropolitan Police officer "stupid and white".

The Australian international made the comments to Pc Stephen Lovell during an incident in south-west London in the early hours of 30 January 2023.

Kerr, 31, and her partner, West Ham midfielder Kristie Mewis, had been out drinking when they were driven to Twickenham Police Station by a taxi driver who complained that they had refused to pay clean-up costs after one of them was sick and that one of them had smashed the vehicle's rear window.

At the police station, Kerr became "abusive and insulting" towards Pc Lovell, calling him "f****** stupid and white".

A jury returned the not guilty verdict on Tuesday after deliberating for around four hours and 17 minutes at Kingston Crown Court since the previous day.

Judge Peter Lodder KC said after the verdict: "I take the view her own behaviour contributed significantly to the bringing of this allegation.

"I don't go behind the jury's verdict but that has a significant bearing on the question of costs."

Kerr showed no emotion during the reading of the verdict but gave a thumbs up to her barrister Grace Forbes after the judge had left.

During the trial, the court heard how Kerr had accepted later calling Pc Lovell "stupid and white" during a heated exchange but denied that it amounted to the charge.

She said she regretted the way she expressed herself but added: "I feel the message was still relevant".

She denied using "whiteness as an insult" and claimed: "I believed it was him using his power and privilege over me because he was accusing me of being something I'm not... I was trying to express that due to the power and privilege they had,