Shocking dashcam footage has captured former England footballer Raheem Sterling driving his £270,000 Lamborghini erratically on the M3 motorway, swerving across three lanes moments before crashing into barriers. The footage, obtained exclusively by the Daily Mail, shows the 31-year-old pulling in front of another motorist without indicating, appearing to hold a balloon filled with nitrous oxide, and then darting across the motorway at speed, almost hitting the central reservation.
Incident Details
The dashcam footage was recorded at 8:45 am on Thursday, just minutes before Sterling was arrested by Hampshire Police on suspicion of being unfit to drive through drugs. The crash occurred on the M3 southbound near the Minley Interchange. The motorist who provided the footage, a driving instructor traveling with his family to Dorset, described the incident as alarming. He said: "I was in the middle lane and without warning a black Lamborghini pulled in front of me, forcing me to slow. The car turned back into the inside lane but the driver put his foot down and veered right across all three lanes and seemed to just avoid hitting the central reservation."
Witness Account
The driving instructor added: "A van driver behind him was forced to brake and he then shot off again and turned back across three lanes again into the inside lane. The motorist was all over the place but I had no idea it was Raheem Sterling until I saw that he'd been arrested on suspicion of drug-driving. I like Raheem but as a driving instructor I'm very concerned. He could have easily have caused himself - and others - a great deal of harm."
Arrest and Bail
Sterling was arrested on suspicion of driving a vehicle whilst unfit through drugs, dangerous driving, possession of a Class C drug, and failing to provide a specimen. He has been bailed pending further enquiries. A Hampshire Police spokesperson said: "Just before 9am on Thursday, we received reports that a Lamborghini was in collision with barriers on the M3 southbound, close to the Minley Interchange. No other vehicles were involved and no injuries were reported. The driver, a 31-year-old man, from Berkshire, has been arrested and bailed while our enquiries continue."
Previous Concerns
A van driver who had been behind Sterling before the crash previously told how he had been beeping his horn to warn him after becoming concerned at his reckless driving. The witness said Sterling drove on the wrong side of the slip road at one point before hitting a barrier, sending his Lamborghini four feet into the air and causing the vehicle to spin 180 degrees so that it faced oncoming traffic.
Context of Drug-Driving
An estimated 124 people are killed annually in the UK in collisions involving a drug-impaired driver. Drug-driving fatalities have risen significantly in recent years, up from 90 deaths in 2022. Overall, approximately one in five fatal road collisions involves a driver impaired by alcohol or drugs. Just last week, a dangerous driver and his passenger who filmed themselves inhaling nitrous oxide from balloons while travelling at speeds reaching 139mph were jailed for a combined total of 23 years following a horror crash that claimed a man's life.
Sterling's Career and Personal Struggles
Sterling's representatives declined to comment when contacted by the Daily Mail, but a source close to the player explained how he has had a hellish two years. The source said: "The psychological strain that has been put on him is immeasurable. Isolated. The second he touches a ball, being told he's a flop and he's finished. Mocked. Heckled. He moved to the Netherlands to escape and rediscover his love for the game but the negativity followed. It's been an extremely tough couple of years for him and this incident encompasses that."
Sterling started his career at QPR but broke through at Liverpool as a teenager, before leaving Anfield for Manchester City in 2015, where he won ten major trophies, including the Premier League four times. He played 82 times for the England senior team, with his last appearance in the 2-1 defeat by France in the quarter-finals of the 2022 World Cup. However, since leaving City for Chelsea in a £50 million deal in 2022, he has endured a torrid spell, which saw him exiled at Stamford Bridge before a failed loan spell with Arsenal and a move to Dutch giants Feyenoord, where he made just eight appearances with no goals.
