Nottingham Forest winger Callum Hudson-Odoi has been ordered by a court to pay more than £1,100 after being convicted of failing to tax his McLaren supercar. The 25-year-old Premier League star was prosecuted by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) over the unpaid bill on his McLaren 765LT sportscar.
Court documents reveal that Hudson-Odoi became the registered keeper of the luxury vehicle in February 2024, with the annual tax expiring at the end of January 2025. The DVLA stated that the McLaren remained untaxed nine months later when it was spotted on Southmill Street in Manchester at 8:50 am on October 29 last year. Some McLaren 765LT models, like the one owned by Hudson-Odoi, have asking prices exceeding £400,000.
The DVLA offered Hudson-Odoi an out-of-court settlement, but he did not respond to the proposal. Consequently, the footballer faced criminal prosecution for keeping a vehicle without a valid licence. Hudson-Odoi did not enter a plea and was convicted at York Magistrates' Court on April 20 during a fast-track hearing conducted privately under the Single Justice Procedure. Magistrate Karen Shackleton ordered him to pay a £660 fine, £410 in back tax, and £85 in costs.
This conviction comes shortly after it was announced that Hudson-Odoi will miss the remainder of Forest's season due to surgery for a leg injury. The player, who joined Forest from Chelsea in 2023, has scored six goals in 43 appearances this season and earned three senior England caps in 2019. His side remains under threat of relegation but has recently pulled clear of the drop zone. Forest is also competing for silverware in Europe, having taken a slender 1-0 lead in the first leg of their Europa League semi-final clash with Aston Villa.
