Chelsea striker Sam Kerr has been found not guilty of causing racially aggravated harassment, after calling a Metropolitan Police officer “stupid and white”.

A jury at Kingston Crown Court cleared her in relation to an incident in Twickenham, south-west London, on 30 January 2023.

Ms Kerr, 31, said she was “antagonised” by officers after she was taken to a police station by a taxi driver following a dispute.

The Australian international, who made the comments to PC Stephen Lovell, did not deny using the words “stupid and white” but denied it amounted to a racial offence.

Ms Kerr was cleared by the jury after it deliberated for four hours.

She gave a thumbs-up to her legal team before leaving the courtroom with her fiancée, West Ham midfielder Kristie Mewis.

In a statement following the verdict, Ms Kerr thanked her supporters, family and friends, and said she could now “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 am fully focused on getting back on to the pitch and look forward to an exciting year ahead for me and my family.”

In a statement, governing body Football Australia acknowledged the verdict and said it had “remained committed” to supporting the player throughout the process.

The trial heard Ms Kerr and Ms 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.

After the verdict, Judge Peter Lodder KC said: “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.”

During the trial, Ms Kerr 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, they would never have to understand what we had just gone through and the fear we were having for our lives.”

It can now be reported that Ms Kerr’s legal team attempted to get the case thrown out at a preliminary hearing, arguing there had been an abuse of process by crown prosecutors.

Ms Kerr’s lawyer Grace Forbes said the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) had violated its own guidance, adding that a “loophole” in the victims’ right of review scheme was used to justify prosecution proceedings a year after the alleged offence.

During the trial, it was put to PC Lovell that he only provided a statement alleging that Ms Kerr’s comments had caused “alarm or harassment” after that decision.

In his first statement to the CPS, the officer made no mention of the “stupid and white” comment having an impact on him, the jury was told.

A second statement from PC Lovell was provided in December 2023, mentioning the alleged impact.

He read a section of the statement to the court, which said the comments made him “shocked, upset, and (left) me feeling humiliated”.

The charge was authorised later in December 2023, almost a year after the incident.

In its statement, Football Australia, said it also acknowledged the “pressures” the matter had placed on “everyone involved”.

“Football Australia will reflect with Sam on learnings from this matter… 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,” it added.