Former England footballer Raheem Sterling has pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, possessing nitrous oxide for wrongful inhalation and failing to provide a specimen after crashing his £270,000 Lamborghini Urus on the M3 in Hampshire. The 31-year-old, who was driving erratically across the M25 and M3 for around 90 minutes before hitting a metal gate near the Minley interchange, told police he had "a problem" with the drug commonly known as laughing gas or "hippy crack". The case, heard at Basingstoke Magistrates' Court, highlights the dangers of drug-impaired driving and comes amid ongoing scrutiny of Sterling's turbulent recent career.

Police found six canisters of nitrous oxide in the car after the single-vehicle collision at 8.45am on 28 May, and bodycam footage showed Sterling attempting to hide canisters and a deflated balloon by moving them to the back seat. Prosecutors said he was so impaired that he could not complete basic roadside sobriety tests, and a witness, Fiona Jennings, described his driving as "absolutely horrendous", fearing he might kill someone. Evidence also suggested Sterling had been inhaling the gas up to seven hours before his arrest, having been spotted holding a balloon while driving into a McDonald's car park at 1.10am the same day. The offences occurred four weeks after Sterling returned to the UK following an unsuccessful loan spell at Dutch club Feyenoord.