Former Premier League striker Michail Antonio has had a conviction for a motoring-related offence set aside after telling a court he almost died in a car crash.
Conviction quashed
A judge sitting at Birmingham Magistrates' Court decided to remove Antonio's conviction for failing to give information in April 2025 about the driver of a Lamborghini Urus which was clocked speeding in the city the previous month.
Antonio, who had been convicted in his absence in April this year, told the judge today, Friday, June 19, that he had given the vehicle to a car company in January last year for them to arrange a sale.
Antonio's statement to court
The 36-year-old told the court: “Can I tell you the whole situation? I almost died in a car crash on December 7, 2025.”
“On March 1 I wasn't even physically driving at the time because I broke my femur – I wasn't allowed to drive.”
Telling the court his partner had sent a letter from the authorities to the car sale firm and told them to sort it out, Antonio, who has been 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.”
Trial date set
The single judge hearing the case responded to Antonio's remarks by giving him the opportunity to appeal to the Crown Court or for his conviction to be set aside.
Antonio, who has also played for Reading, Nottingham Forest, Southampton and Sheffield Wednesday, opted to plead not guilty and will now face trial at the same court on March 2 next year.
Near the end of the short hearing, Antonio asked if the press were allowed to be present and was then asked by the judge if he was famous.
Antonio answered: “Yeah, I am a footballer. I used to play for West Ham.”
Speeding charge dropped
A charge of speeding relating to the Lamborghini, which was recorded doing an average of 50mph in a 40mph zone in Birmingham on March 1 2025, was dropped by prosecutors at a previous hearing.
Antonio spent three weeks in hospital in December 2024 after crashing a Ferrari in Epping Forest in Essex, suffering a badly broken leg.
