Raheem Sterling Pleads Guilty to Dangerous Driving and Drug Possession

Raheem Sterling has pleaded guilty to dangerous driving and possession of nitrous oxide after crashing his Lamborghini on a U.K. motorway in May.

The former Liverpool, Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal winger appeared at Basingstoke Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, where he admitted to wrongful inhalation of nitrous oxide, dangerous driving and failing to provide a specimen for analysis.

The incident took place on May 28, 2026, on the M3 southbound near the Minley Interchange in Hampshire. Police were called in the morning after Sterling’s Lamborghini left its lane, moved into the central reservation and then struck a metal gate at a turnout.

Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary described it at the time as “a single vehicle collision, involving a Lamborghini, on the M3 southbound, close to the Minley Interchange.” No other cars were involved and no injuries were reported.

When officers arrived, the 31-year-old was in the passenger seat. The driver’s side was empty. Sterling was cradling two nitrous oxide canisters on his lap, with a total of six canisters found in the vehicle. The substance, commonly known as laughing gas, is classified as a Class C drug in the U.K.

An eyewitness, giving evidence in court, condemned what they saw as “absolutely horrendous driving.”

Sterling now faces the full weight of U.K. road traffic law.

Under the U.K. Highway Code, Parliament sets maximum penalties, but sentencing is left to the courts, which weigh the circumstances of each case. Dangerous driving carries a maximum sentence of two years in prison, an unlimited fine and mandatory disqualification from driving.

On top of that, U.K. police guidance on drug driving warns that anyone found over the drink-drive limit or impaired by drugs can receive a criminal record, up to six months in prison, an unlimited fine and an automatic driving ban of at least one year — rising to three years for a second conviction within 10 years.

The consequences do not stop there. Offenders can expect an endorsement on their driving licence for 11 years, sharply higher insurance premiums and, for those who drive as part of their job, a conviction visible to employers. Travel to certain countries, including the USA, can also become far more complicated.

Sterling will now wait to learn how heavily the court believes this night on the M3 should cost him.