A police officer who arrested soccer star Sam Kerr has denied he claimed he was distressed by her alleged harassment of him to “get a criminal charge over the line”.

Police constable Stephen Lovell was challenged about his motives by Kerr’s counsel on day two of the Matildas’ captain’s trial in a London court on Wednesday (AEDT).

In his original statement, Lovell had made no mention of Kerr’s description of him as “f—king stupid and white” having any impact on him, the court heard.

But 11 months later – after the Crown Prosecution Service decided not to take the case to trial – he added a second statement.

Lovell requested a review of that decision.

In his second statement, in December 2023, Lovell said Kerr’s comments left him “shocked, upset and [he] immediately felt humiliated”.

The references to his race went “too far and I took great offence to them”.

Kerr’s counsel Grace Forbes suggested Lovell claimed he was distressed “purely to get a criminal charge over the line”.

She also said Lovell “had taken against Ms Kerr from the outset”, which he denied. He agreed he “was determined to pursue this person”.

Forbes said the sight of Kerr playing for Australia at the Women’s World Cup and being “all over TV” may have influenced Lovell to challenge the decision not to charge the Matildas skipper.

But he said he was not a football fan and had not been aware of the tournament.

Lovell did admit the exchange with Kerr was at times “childish” and should have been cut short. But he denied he had “made assumptions Kerr was a troublemaker, was difficult and arrogant”.

Also on Wednesday (AEDT), the jury heard a remorseful Kerr admit she was drunk, angry and scared, but should have “just walked away”.

“I wish I had just gone home. Wish I had walked away and dealt with it in the morning,” said Kerr in an audio recording of an interview conducted on the night of January 30, 2023, having been arrested earlier that day.

Kerr was in Kingston Crown Court in London with her parents Roger and Roxanne, and brother Levi on the second day of her trial on charges of racially aggravated harassment with intent to cause alarm or distress.

The offence carries a maximum sentence of 26 weeks in jail.

Kerr, 31, was arrested after a night out with her partner US international Kristie Mewis, celebrating a hat-trick Kerr had scored for Chelsea, went sour.

A taxi driver called police after Kerr vomited in the cab and Mewis broke a passenger window, with the couple fearing they were being held hostage.

Police arrived on the scene to see Kerr climbing out of the window, her hands cut and bloodied.

The women, described as “inebriated, emotional and in distress”, were then interviewed in the police station. Kerr and Mewis accused the police of taking the taxi driver’s word against theirs.

Ultimately, given the choice of paying for the fare and damages, or being arrested for criminal damage and taking the matter to court, Kerr opted for the latter.

Previously, she had twice called Lovell “f—ing stupid and white”, so she was also arrested on the racially aggravated public order offence.

The criminal damage element was dropped soon after, with £900 ($1800) being paid for the damaged car window.

In the police interview, which Kerr attended voluntarily and without a lawyer, she said, “I was obviously intoxicated. I shouldn’t have been so front-footed but I did not feel protected in that moment. I felt very threatened.”

She said she was “not at all intending to make [Lovell] feel harassed, alarmed, threatened”, adding: “The whole situation was stressful for everyone, my partner is crying, I have been crying, we all felt distressed.

“I wish I had just gone home. I felt very angry with how [Mewis] was being treated too. I wish I had walked away and dealt with it in the morning.”

Asked what she would say to Lovell, Kerr said: “Just ‘sorry’. I understand he is doing his job. I apologise for a situation where they had to stay there so long and deal with two very angry girls in a situation probably not to be resolved in that moment, so apologise for the whole event.”

The trial continues, with Kerr expected to give evidence later on Wednesday.

-with AAP