Matildas captain Sam Kerr has been acquitted of racially harassing a London police officer, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has threatened to resume military action in Gaza unless Hamas releases hostages.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has threatened to end the Gaza ceasefire if Hamas does not release hostages by Saturday noon, pledging to resume intense military action. Meanwhile, Matildas captain Sam Kerr says she’s looking forward to putting a challenging period behind her, after she was found not guilty of racially harassing a London policeman. The 31-year-old insists she did not intend to insult or harm anyone when she called the officer 'stupid and white'.
The 12-person jury took four hours to deliberate before coming back with an unanimous verdict: not guilty.For seven days, Matildas captain Sam Kerr has been on trial after being charged for breaching Britain's strict racial harassment laws. The one count of aggravated racial harassment relates to a night in January 2023 in London when she called policeman Stephen Lovell 'stupid and white'. Ms Kerr, who identifies as a white Anglo-Indian, entered a plea of not guilty, telling the court she believed police were treating her differently due to the colour of her skin. The court heard Ms Kerr and her partner, Kristie Mewis, had been out drinking when they were driven to Twickenham Police Station by a taxi driver. He complained that they had refused to pay clean-up costs after Ms Kerr was sick and Ms Mewis smashed the vehicle's rear window. Ms Kerr told the court she believed they were being kidnapped by the taxi driver, after their pleas to be let out the vehicle were ignored, the doors were locked and the car started moving erratically. Ms Kerr showed no emotion when the verdict was delivered, but gave a thumbs-up to her barrister, Grace Forbes, after the judge had left. In a statement, Ms Kerr says she is relieved with the outcome - and hopes to put the matter behind her. 'Following today’s not guilty verdict, I can finally put this challenging period behind me. While I apologise for expressing myself poorly on what was a traumatic evening, I have always maintained that I did not intend to insult or harm anyone and I am thankful that the jury unanimously agreed. I would like to thank my partner Kristie, my family, friends and all the fans for their love and support, especially those who attended court each day. I am fully focused on getting back on to the pitch and look forward to an exciting year ahead for me and my family.' England’s Crown Prosecution Service insists there was sufficient evidence to bring the case to trial. It had faced some criticism in the United Kingdom, where even the most serious offences aren’t tried for years due to a lack of resources. During the trial, police constable Lovell was questioned about his initial statement on the incident, which made no mention of the 'stupid and white' comment having an impact on him. It was in a second statement made a year after the incident - in December 2023 - that the alleged impact of being shocked, upset and humiliated was mentioned. The Detective Chief Superintendent of Metropolitan Police, Clair Kelland, released a statement in support of the officers involved in the case. 'Our officers perform a challenging job and are often subjected to various forms of abuse as they discharge their duty. We will continue to support all officers involved in this incident.' The 34-minute police body cam vision - played during day one of the trial - shows Ms Kerr directing expletives at the officers. She told the court she had expressed herself 'poorly' and said she felt embarrassed at watching the way she behaved in the video. The footballer hasn't played for 13 months, since injuring her ACL during a warm-weather training camp with Chelsea in Morocco. She is expected to return to play in the coming weeks, in time to play for Australia in a pair of international friendlies against South Korea in April, in the lead-up to the 2026 AFC Asian Cup. In a statement, Football Australia says it acknowledges the court verdict, adding the case has brought significant pressures to Sam Kerr, her family, and the sport. 'Throughout this period, Football Australia has remained committed to supporting Sam and will continue to do so as she focuses on her footballing career, rehabilitation from injury and return to play. Football Australia invests heavily in building the behavioural standards and expectations of all involved with our game, especially for all our national team players, where leadership comes with added responsibilities on and off the field. Football Australia will reflect with Sam on learnings from this matter; and we will continue to provide appropriate support for her moving forward. We look forward to Sam’s return to the pitch and her continued contributions to both her club and the Matildas on the world stage.
SAM KERR RACIAL HARASSMENT TRIAL FOOTBALL AUSTRALIA BENJAMIN NETANYAHU GAZA CEASEFIRE HAMAS HOSTAGES
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