Michail Antonio Found Guilty in Driving Offence

Footballer Michail Antonio has been found guilty of failing to identify the driver of his Lamborghini supercar in connection with a motoring offence in central London.

The 36-year-old former West Ham striker was charged by the Metropolitan Police with failing to assist an investigation after his vehicle was observed being driven without due care and attention on Pall Mall last November.

During a trial at Uxbridge Magistrates' Court, Antonio stated he was not the driver that night, claiming his cousin had borrowed the car while he was in Manchester. He also asserted that he did not receive the initial police letter requesting driver identification, attributing its non-receipt to postal issues.

Antonio testified that he was surprised to learn in February that he had been charged, and believed his cousin was handling the response to the charge and providing the correct driver's details. However, the court found Antonio guilty of failing to provide information required for driver identification.

Magistrate Ian Comfort stated the panel was convinced the police letter had been delivered and that Antonio had not responded in accordance with legal requirements. Antonio already has six penalty points on his license from a previous conviction for driving without insurance in July 2025, and now faces the possibility of an automatic driving ban.

The incident involved Antonio's Lamborghini Urus, registered in his name, on November 5 last year. The Metropolitan Police sent a letter to Antonio on November 12 seeking driver identification, initiating a prosecution when no response was received.

Antonio provided evidence that he was visiting his children in Manchester from November 3 to 6 and had lent the car to Tarique Josephs, who manages a car-loaning company. He contacted Mr. Josephs in February after being notified of the criminal charge.

Mr. Josephs testified that he rents Antonio's car occasionally. He claimed to have filled out the response form, including a not guilty plea and a brief explanation of the car being on loan. When asked why other driver details were not provided, he stated he had included a copy of the loan agreement with the mailed response.

Antonio's girlfriend, Sunita Bains, who manages mail at their Buckinghamshire home, testified that she does not believe the initial police letter ever arrived.

Antonio is also facing a separate charge for allegedly failing to respond to West Midlands police regarding a speeding offence in the same Lamborghini, with a trial scheduled for March.

Antonio's career was previously impacted in December 2024 when he suffered a broken leg in a Ferrari crash in Epping Forest, Essex, resulting in a three-week hospital stay and over six months of recovery.