Michail Antonio will face trial after a judge set aside his conviction for failing to provide driver information, with the former West Ham striker telling the court he almost died in a car crash at the time.
Conviction Overturned
Former West Ham striker Michail Antonio has had a conviction for a motoring offence overturned after revealing to a court that he nearly lost his life in a car crash. A judge at Birmingham Magistrates' Court chose to remove Antonio's conviction for failing to provide information in April 2025 about the driver of a Lamborghini Urus that was caught speeding in the city the previous month.
Antonio, who was convicted in his absence earlier this year, informed the judge on Friday that he had handed the vehicle over to a car company in January of the previous year for them to organise a sale. The 36-year-old asked the court: "Can I tell you the whole situation? I almost died in a car crash on the 7th of December 2025."
Details of the Crash
Antonio survived a horror crash in Epping when his powerful Ferrari was left a mangled wreck by the side of the road. He told the court: "On the 1st of March I wasn't even physically driving at the time because I broke my femur – I wasn't allowed to drive." He explained that his partner had forwarded a letter from the authorities to the car sales firm and instructed them to handle it.
Antonio, who is currently playing in the Qatari league, added: "We got a summons for court in September. I don't think I was around. I was trying to focus on my actual career and my life. I didn't think about anything outside of that."
Judge's Response
In response to Antonio's comments, the single judge presiding over the case offered him the chance to appeal to the Crown Court or have his conviction set aside. Antonio, who has also turned out for Reading, Nottingham Forest, Southampton and Sheffield Wednesday, chose to plead not guilty and will now stand trial at the same court on 2 March next year.
Towards the end of the brief hearing, Antonio enquired if the press were permitted to be present and was subsequently asked by the judge if he was famous. Antonio responded: "Yeah, I am a footballer. I used to play for West Ham."
Speeding Charge Dismissed
A charge of speeding related to the Lamborghini, which was clocked doing an average of 50mph in a 40mph zone in Birmingham on 1 March 2025, was dismissed by prosecutors at an earlier hearing. Antonio spent three weeks in hospital in December 2024 after crashing a Ferrari in Epping Forest in Essex, sustaining a severely broken leg.
