Raheem Sterling Faces Court for Dangerous Driving Charges

Raheem Sterling is due in court next month to answer charges of dangerous driving and possessing nitrous oxide for wrongful inhalation after crashing his car into motorway barriers in May.

The 31-year-old former England winger, most recently with Feyenoord in the Dutch Eredivisie, crashed his Lamborghini into barriers on the southbound M3 in Hampshire on the morning of Thursday, 28 May. No other vehicles were involved and no injuries were reported.

Sterling was arrested at the scene and later released on bail while officers continued their investigation.

In a statement, Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary confirmed the case is now heading to court.

“A driver will appear in court next month to face charges following a collision on the M3,” a spokesman said. “Raheem Sterling, 31, from Berkshire, has been charged for the following offences: dangerous driving, possession of nitrous oxide for wrongful inhalation, failing to provide a specimen.

“The charges come following a single vehicle collision, involving a Lamborghini, on the M3 southbound, close to the Minley Interchange [Hampshire], on 28 May, 2026. No other vehicles were involved and no injuries were reported. Mr Sterling is due to appear at Basingstoke magistrates court on 15 September.”

Police had suspected Sterling of “driving a vehicle whilst unfit through drugs”, but that allegation does not feature among the charges he now faces.

Back in May, a source close to Sterling told BBC Sport there was “no proof” of drugs in his system. The same source said the forward had endured “an extremely tough couple of years” and had been made to “feel worthless” and “forgotten about”.

The court date arrives at a turbulent point in Sterling’s career. He has been without a club since leaving Feyenoord at the end of last season, having joined the Rotterdam side in February on a short-term deal after his Chelsea contract was ended by mutual consent.

Chelsea paid £47.5m to sign him from Manchester City in 2022, recruiting a player who had collected four Premier League titles, five League Cups and one FA Cup across seven years at the Etihad. In 2024, he joined Arsenal on loan, but on his return to Stamford Bridge in 2025 he was frozen out of the first-team picture and ordered to train separately.

For England, Sterling built an international career that spanned a decade. He won 82 caps between 2012 and 2022, appearing at three World Cups and two European Championships.

Next month, the spotlight returns. This time not on a pitch, but in a magistrates’ court in Basingstoke.