I agree with media commentary describing as ‘confronting’ the footage of Aussie soccer player Sam Kerr’s 3.30am interview by Twickenham Police in the UK.
We have all seen the world-famous bodycam of her telling a white male policeman he was ‘stupid and white’ – a statement for which she apologised in person the next day.
Surely the matter should have ended there?
The fact that it hasn’t, raises serious questions about the integrity of British police and the cowardice of prosecutors who declined to take up the case, but appeared to have been forced into it by an angry white male police officer.
The ABC has helpfully posted the entire 30-minute bodycam footage that enables us to see the full context of Ms Kerr and Constable Lovell’s interaction.
It helps us understand why Ms Kerr was angry with the cab driver and subsequently the police.
It began with the cabbie’s decision to imprison Ms Kerr and Ms Mewis in his vehicle – refusing their pleas to stop and let them out, and take them to a place other than the destination they requested.
Is it legal to do this?
There are certainly guidelines for drivers in the UK and Australia suggesting the cabbie was the one who broke the law.
At least one UK Council (Wolverhampton) has published guidelines stating: ‘You must never lock passengers in the vehicle. You may be arrested and charged with false imprisonment if you do this’.
In Australia, it seems an uncommon crime, but at least one Gold Coast cab driver has been charged with ‘depravation of liberty’ after imprisoning his female passengers because they challenged the fare for a short trip.
Anyone who has watched The Bone Collector will share my own horror of being locked in a cab where the passenger doors have been modified to turn the space into a prison.
I note Australian taxi laws require taxi boots to have an internal release mechanism. Shouldn’t this also apply to passenger doors?
I felt sick listening to Constable Lovell dismissing the need to investigate the behaviour of the cabbie in the Twickenham Police video.
Constable Lovell acknowledges he did not even interview the taxi driver personally. A five-minute complaint was made to his partner.
The interview shows Ms Kerr’s increasing frustration as Constable Lovell openly sides with the cabbie and asks the women to pay him money.
Ms Mewis can be heard saying ‘I am not trying to get out of anything’.
Both women say they would be happy to pay the fare and the cleaning.
Ms Kerr simply wants police to investigate their false imprisonment claims first.
She goes on to accuse police of being sexist and ‘not listening’.
Constable Lovell retorts: ‘I have listened to you a lot, because I haven’t any choice because you are a very loud person… All I am saying is you’re bragging about how much money you’ve got, and that poor bloke will never see that much money in his life… You’ve told me so many times you are happy to pay the money – are you happy to pay the money or not?’
Job of police
Is it seriously the job of police to detain women in police stations demanding they pay money to an alleged perpetrator in order to be released?
The next day, Ms Kerr returns to the station, apologises for her outbursts and pays the cabbie money to bring the incident to a conclusion. Was this fair? I doubt it. But her inebriated 4am outburst had muddied the issues.
In the sober light of day, it was necessary to settle the issue on the terms demanded by Constable Lovell in order to move on.
But this officer did not want to resolve the issue.
His insistence on pursuing a criminal case raises even more questions about police judgement than Sam Kerr – because his is a considered decision. Sam has at least regretted and apologised for her mistake.
It is really troubling that any prosecutor would go along with the Lovell charade.
I wish the Australian media in London would ask some harder questions, like how many times have UK citizens been prosecuted for calling a policeman ‘white’?
How many women have been arrested for escaping imprisonment by a man holding them against their will?
Special treatment
Because it is obvious Sam Kerr is being meted special treatment by police.
Indeed it feels to me like she is really being pursued and prosecuted for being famous, female, and not white.
And police unwillingness to listen to, or help female victims, is what we should be focused on here.
Somehow a victim who asked for police help winds up on trial accused of being a perpetrator. What’s wrong with this picture?
♦ Catherine Cusack is a former NSW Liberal MLC.
For four decades The Echo has printed the stories some people loved, some people hated, and some pretended not to read. If you want us to keep telling the truth, the real truth, not the sugar-coated version. We’ll need your support to keep the presses rolling. 
