Sam Kerr rolls out the legal heavy artillery in bid to have abuse charges dropped
Sam Kerr’s lawyers will seek to have her racial harassment charge dropped next month as football powerbrokers close ranks around the Matildas captain.
Kerr has pleaded not guilty in a London court to racially aggravated harassment of a police officer.
The global football starās lawyers will argue an abuse of process at a pre-trial hearing on April 26 and seek to have the charge downgraded or dropped, according to court documents cited by multiple UK media outlets.
The April hearing comes ahead of a trial slated for next February.
The Matildas and Chelsea striker is charged with using insulting, threatening or abusive words that caused alarm or distress to PC Lovell during an incident in Twickenham on January 30 last year.
āThe charge relates to an incident involving a police officer who was responding to a complaint involving a taxi fare,ā the UKās Metropolitan Police said in a statement.
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Harassment convictions in the UK can include a sentence of up to two years in custody when the offence is racially or religiously aggravated.
Kerr was charged on January 21 this year with the time period between the incident and charge being laid understood to be central to her legal teamās abuse of process claim.
Football Australia (FA) chief executive James Johnson on Tuesday said Kerr didnāt inform the sportās hierarchy of the āvery seriousā charge.
Johnson said he had contacted Kerr to seek an explanation regarding the āunsettling eventā.
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On Wednesday, the FA declined to comment further.
Kerrās manager, her English club Chelsea and Englandās Football Association have also refused to comment on the controversy engulfing Australiaās highest-profile sportswoman.
Johnson and Matildas coach Tony Gustavsson on Tuesday both said they were unaware of Kerr facing court until stories surfaced in the media.
āThat is when Football Australia found out about this unsettling event,ā Johnson told reporters.
āWe are trying to get to the bottom of it ā¦ we have got our own questions that weād like to know (answers to), we have got to find out what actually happened.
āBut we also want to say that there is a process that is under way in the United Kingdom and that process needs to run its course.ā
Johnson said it was too early to determine if the controversy would impact on Kerrās tenure as Matildas captain, a position she has held since February 2019.
Gustavsson offered his support to Kerr.
āI was informed this morning and obviously was surprised,ā he told reporters on Tuesday.
āThe only thing I can comment on is my experience and interaction with Sam as a person, as a footballer, and I have only positive experiences.
āFA was very clear in terms of supporting our players on and off the field ā¦ I will, as a human being, always support.ā
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