The 31-year-old, currently without a club after his contract at Feyenoord was cancelled, admitted the offences at Basingstoke Magistrates' Court, according to the Daily Mail, along with possession of nitrous oxide for wrongful inhalation and failing to provide a specimen following the single-vehicle collision on May 28. No other vehicles were involved and nobody was injured.
Police body-worn camera footage shown to the court captured the moment Sterling was arrested with canisters and a deflated balloon on his lap, having attempted to move the items to the back seat of his Lamborghini Urus before officers reached him. The former England international did not respond when asked who had been driving at the time of the crash, and later declined to answer further questions.
Prosecutor Simon Jones told the court Sterling had driven erratically across the M25 and M3 for around 90 minutes before leaving the motorway near the Minley interchange in Hampshire and crashing into a metal gate. One motorist, Fiona Jennings, told police she saw the driver holding a balloon so large in front of his face that she had no idea how he could see the road, describing his driving as "absolutely horrendous" and saying she feared he might kill someone. Evidence presented to the court suggested Sterling had also been inhaling nitrous oxide behind the wheel several hours earlier that morning.
Sterling told police he had "a problem" with the substance, according to evidence heard in court. He was found to be so impaired that he could not complete basic roadside tests, with the prosecution noting he appeared "quiet, withdrawn and lethargic" with drooping eyelids consistent with drug impairment, despite temperatures reaching 33 degrees that day.
Breath tests showed he was not under the influence of alcohol, cannabis or cocaine, though he later refused a blood test, insisting a solicitor of his choosing be present.
His barrister, Jason Bartfeld QC, told the court there was "extensive personal mitigation" and that Sterling had taken voluntary steps to address his difficulties, while arguing nitrous oxide caused only short periods of impairment rather than the sustained effects of alcohol or cannabis. Sterling could face up to two years in prison. The case was adjourned until November for pre-sentencing reports.