Raheem Sterling told police he had ‘a problem’ with laughing gas after submitting rush hour motorists to a terrifying 90-minutes of dangerous driving in his Lamborghini while high on the chemical.
The former England international, 31, zigzagged across the M25 and M3 motorways in his car, forcing other motorists to get out of his way, before swerving onto a slip road and crashing into a metal gate.
He was arrested by police who claim he tried to hide nitrous oxide, or laughing gas, from them by moving it to the back seat of his black Lamborghini Urus SUV, which is worth around £270,000.
Police bodycam footage shows the moment that Sterling was arrested with canisters and a deflated balloon on his lap. An officer can be heard saying ‘you can put that down’ to the footballer after opening his car door.
He can then be seen taking the items from his lap and putting them behind his seat.
Sterling is asked ‘can you jump out for me’ and who was at the wheel at the time of the crash, but does not reply.
Police bodycam footage shows the moment Raheem Sterling is arrested with canisters and a deflated balloon on his lap
The former England international was pictured arriving in court today to face charges following a car crash in May
Sterling, 31, crashed his £270,000 Lamborghini Urus and was charged with dangerous driving and possession of laughing gas
The officer adds: ‘So you refuse to answer, okay.’
Sterling is told to get out of the car, asked his name and age at the roadside and to ‘put the phone down, stop playing games. Stop tensing up.’
The former Manchester City and Chelsea star is then read his rights as he is arrested after being asked to put his arms behind his back.
His arrest, near the Minley interchange on the M3 in Hampshire, happened four weeks after he had returned to the UK following the end of an abortive attempt to revive his football career at Dutch club Feyenoord.
Sterling, from Berkshire, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to dangerous driving, possession of nitrous oxide for wrongful inhalation and failing to provide a specimen after a single vehicle collision at 8.45am on May 28. Police found six cannisters of nitrous oxide in his car.
Basingstoke Magistrates’ Court heard that Sterling was so impaired by the laughing gas that he was unable to perform basic police station tests like placing his finger on his nose or placing one foot in front of another.
Barrister Simon Jones, prosecuting, said of Sterling: ‘He appeared to be quiet, withdrawn and lethargic and actively fidgeting. Eye lids drooping consistent with fatigue or drug impairment. He said he was feeling very cold, despite this being in the middle of a heatwave with 33-degree temperatures.’
Motorist Fiona Jennings told police she had looked across to witness the driver of the Lamborghini with a balloon in front of his face which was so big she thought it was an air bag.
It was so big that ‘she had no idea how the driver would have been able to see the road ahead,’ Mr Jones said. Ms Jennings described Sterling’s driving as ‘absolutely horrendous’ and expressed ‘genuine concern that the driver may kill someone.’
Evidence presented to court suggested Sterling was also inhaling laughing gas while at wheel of the Lamborghini a full seven hours before his arrest.
A concerned witness called police after seeing the driver of the same car entering a McDonalds car park alarmingly fast at 1.10am the same morning and seeing the driver holding up ‘a pink, inflated balloon.’
By 7.45am that morning, another motorist concerned by the Lamborghini erratically changing lanes, saw the driver placing a white balloon to his mouth and inhaling its contents. For 30 minutes, that motorist watched the vehicle weave from inside to outside lane and back and come close to smashing into the central reservation.
It was after Sterling had left the M3 near Farnborough, Hampshire, hit the gate and come to halt with the tyres of his wheels ripped up, that police found him sitting in T-shirt and shirts in the passenger seat of the car.
One officer told him to ‘stop tensing up’ after he had stepped out of the car. Sterling replied: ‘I’m not tensing up.’ Sterling provided breath tests, which established he was not under the influence of cannabis, cocaine or alcohol. But he later refused requests for a blood test, insisting that a lawyer of his choosing must be present, having rejected the offer of a duty solicitor. He also refused to answer any police questions.
Mr Jones said of Sterling’s conduct: ‘He was attempting to impose a condition on provision of a specimen. He was told the investigation could not be delayed for that reason. At the roadside, there was cooperation without the need for legal advice. When the search for the presence of drugs started, the cooperation ended.’
Sterling’s barrister, Jason Bartfeld QC, told the court that there was ‘extensive personal mitigation’ his case and that the footballer had taken ‘voluntary steps to mitigate his difficulties.’
Mr Bartfeld agreed that this was a ‘top category case’ because it was a prolonged period of dangerous driving and Sterling was suffering ‘serious impairment’. But he said the nitrous oxide would only have caused impairment in ‘short periods’ and that the chemical did not pose the same risks as cannabis or alcohol.
He claimed police had left Sterling confused about the blood sample. Sterling later told police in a statement: ‘I asked for a solicitor. I did not fully understand I had not slept all night and was tired and confused.’
Sterling could face a maximum two years’ imprisonment. The case was adjourned until November for pre-sentencing reports.
