Raheem Sterling Pleads Guilty to Dangerous Driving and Nitrous Oxide Charges

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, a Class C drug commonly known as laughing gas, and failing to provide a specimen for analysis.

Early-morning crash on the M3

Police were called on the morning of May 28, 2026, to the M3 southbound near the Minley Interchange in Hampshire after Sterling’s Lamborghini veered 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 vehicles were involved and no injuries were reported.

When officers arrived, the 31-year-old was found 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 in his possession.

An eyewitness later told the court it was “absolutely horrendous driving.”

Charges and potential sanctions

Sterling accepted the charges of dangerous driving, possession of nitrous oxide and failing to provide a specimen for analysis.

Under the U.K. Highway Code, Parliament sets maximum penalties for road traffic offences, with courts determining the final sentence based on the circumstances of each case.

For dangerous driving, the maximum penalty is a two-year prison sentence, an unlimited fine and obligatory disqualification from driving.

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

Sterling now waits to discover how heavily the court will come down on one of English football’s most high-profile names.