Chelsea striker Sam Kerr says ‘I feared for my life’ while ‘trapped’ in taxi
Chelsea striker Sam Kerr says ‘I feared for my life’ while ‘trapped’ in taxi
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Chelsea footballer Sam Kerr has said she “feared for my life” as she and her partner were “trapped” in the back of a taxi moments before one of them smashed the vehicle’s rear window. The Australia international is on trial charged with causing racially aggravated harassment to Pc Stephen Lovell during an incident in south-west London in the early hours of January 30 2023. It is alleged that 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 smashed the vehicle’s rear window.
Giving evidence on Wednesday, Kerr told the jury she had put her head out of the window when she began to feel sick before the driver “rolled it up” and began to “drive dangerously”. She said: “He accelerated and began to swerve in and out of lanes… We were getting thrown around. “I couldn’t hear what he was saying. He was speeding up and stopping. “Neither of us had our belts on so we stood up and tried to talk to him… it felt like he was going wherever he thought… I was terrified.”.
Ms Kerr said the dangerous driving continued for 15 to 20 minutes, adding: “I was terrified for my life. “Everything was going through my mind about being in a car with a stranger I deemed to be dangerous. “There was no reasoning with him. It was his way or nothing. “Kristie asked him to stop the car but there was no change to his driving. We had no idea where we were. “Kristie was very distressed. She was crying and scared. I’ve never seen her like that before and it made me more scared.
“I started to realise how serious the situation was. It put me in protective mode… he had the power over us. “We were not in control… I deemed him to be dangerous because of the driving but also because he could have taken us anywhere. He couldn’t be tracked so no one knew where we were.”. Kerr said the pair tried to open the doors and windows multiple times but they remained locked. Eventually, Ms Mewis “kicked out (the window) with her boot” which resulted in Kerr feeling “relieved”, but she added: “We didn’t get out straight away as the car was still moving.”.
