New details have emerged as Sam Kerr’s legal team plans to defend the Aussie soccer star over allegations she abused a police officer on a drunken night out in London.
The Daily Telegraph reports that the team, led by top UK criminal barrister Grace Forbes, laid out its skeleton defence in documents filed in the Kingston Crown Court in London on Tuesday.
The prosecution now has until next Tuesday to respond in writing and outline how it plans to prove Kerr committed the offence.
The defence team had previously outlined that the Matildas star intended to deny the charge and would argue that her intention was not to upset the police officer.
Kerr was allegedly on a night out in London on January 30, 2023, when police were called over a complaint about a taxi fare.
The soccer superstar reportedly became sick in the taxi and when police officers attended, allegedly called one of them a “stupid white b…..d”.
She was charged with using insulting, threatening or abusive words that caused alarm or distress — a charge that could carry a sentence of up to two years in custody if it can be proven the offence was racially aggravated.
At a hearing in March, Judge Judith Elaine Coello reportedly said to Ms Forbes that she understood “the defence is that she didn’t intend to cause alarm, harassment or distress to the officer, [her behaviour] did not amount to it and it was not racially aggravated.”
Her legal team is due to return to court on April 26 in a bid to quash her scheduled trial.
The trial date is set for February 3, 2025. Kerr’s legal team plans to argue abuse of process by prosecutors after it took almost a year for her to be charged.
It’s since been revealed Football Australia only found out about the charge in March this year after media outlets around the world revealed the news.
Aussie cricketing legend Mitchell Johnson, writing for The Nightly on Thursday, said Kerr should be stripped of the Matildas captaincy for not information Football Australia of the charge earlier.
“Regardless of the outcome of Kerr’s charge in England, her captaincy deserves to be called into question after hiding it from Football Australia,” he wrote.
“More than just being looked up to by many young girls and boys, Kerr is the captain.
“Leaders need to lead from the front, and not telling the national body about her legal issues sends a terrible message, more so when you’re the captain.”
Kerr is currently recovering from knee reconstructive surgery, which is expected to sideline her from the Matildas’ campaign at this year’s Paris Olympics.