Sam Kerr’s troubled AFL legend brother Daniel jailed for setting family home on fire in ‘nonsensical and chaotic’ act that left their parents in a financial black hole
- Sam Kerr’s brother, Daniel, has been sentenced to two years in prison
- He set fire to his parents’ house in Kardinya in 2021
- Daily Mail Australia provides the latest international sports news
West Coast Eagles champion and brother of Sam Kerr has been jailed for setting fire to his parents’ house.
Daniel Kerr, who played 220 AFL games and won the premiership with the Eagles, was charged with criminal damage by fire and appeared in Perth District Courtr.
The court heard that on February 17, 2021, Kerr, 40, drove to the family home in Kardinya and set fire to the back rooms, then drove off screaming and waving his hand out the driver’s window. The house was empty at the time.
Kerr’s lawyer Kate Turtley-Chappel told the court that he had been diagnosed with schizophrenia while in custody.
The former footy star caused nearly $250,000 in damage to the property and was arrested at his car wash business an hour after the incident, where he told officers he had no recollection of driving there.
Sam Kerr’s brother Daniel (L) has been sentenced to two years in prison for setting his parents’ house on fire
Daniel Kerr (L) won an AFL premiership with West Coast Eagles while his younger sister Sam (R) plays football for Chelsea and the Matildas
The prosecution called the act “nonsensical and chaotic.”
Kerr has endured an up and down relationship with his superstar younger sister Sam Kerr, one of the leading names in women’s football.
He had a well-documented struggle with alcohol and drugs after his retirement in 2013, culminating in a five-day jail sentence after violating a violent restraining order.
His family initially refused to post his $5,000 bail, and the siblings did not speak to each other for two years after the ordeal.
“I haven’t spoken to him for two years,” said Sam Kerr in 2020.
“Our whole family is close, but me and Daniel are super close… he always says, ‘that’s the thing that got me back on the road, that everyone talked to me but you.’
“I just really needed that reassurance that everything would go back to normal.
Kerr was arrested in 2021 for the incident that caused $250,000 worth of damage
“That’s what hurt me the most…when you do things that affect yourself, it affects other people as well.
“I had to watch mom and dad get stressed out about their 30-year-old son, which is not normal and it hit me. I don’t let it bother me, but seeing my parents have to deal with it was probably the hardest part.’
Daniel has previously shared how Sam’s tough love was the kickstart he needed “to behave again, to get my family back” before the February 2021 incident.