Michail Antonio has had a motoring conviction quashed after his Lamborghini Urus was caught speeding last year.
Antonio was supposed to be sentenced this week having been found guilty in his absence of not identifying to authorities who was driving the £208k supercar in Birmingham.
His car was caught going at 50mph in a 40mph zone last March but on Friday he told Birmingham Magistrates Court that he had given the Lamborghini to a car company three months before it was caught speeding so they could sell it for him.
Antonio was not able to drive at the time after suffering a badly broken leg in the horrendous crash in his £260,000 Ferrari GTC4Lusso that he was lucky to survive in Epping Forest in December 2024.
The judge has now removed the 36-year-old’s conviction and the striker, who now plays for Al-Sailiya in Qatar, will have his case reheard at a later date.
Antonio said: ‘Can I tell you the whole situation? I almost died in a car crash on the 7th of December 2024.
Michail Antonio (right), seen playing in Qatar, will have a retrial next year
Antonio suffered multiple leg breaks in this horror crash in December 2024
‘On the 1st of March I wasn’t even physically driving at the time because I broke my femur – I wasn’t allowed to drive.
‘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.’
The judge then said Antonio had the chance to either appeal to the crown court or have his conviction set aside.
The footballer said he pleaded not guilty and the case will be heard on March 2 in the same place next year.
The Jamaica international was driving through Epping Forest in December 2024 when he lost control of his Ferrari and crashed into a tree.
The 36-year-old had to be cut loose by emergency services after being trapped in the wreckage for more than 45 minutes.
After being taken to hospital, Antonio learned that his leg was badly broken, with his femur shattering in four places.
But after an impressive recovery that saw him training just four months after the collision, Antonio and his club took the decision not to extend his deal after the two parties were unable to agree on new terms.
In April last year, West Ham’s record Premier League goal-scorer revisited the car’s remains at a scrapyard, which put the horror incident into perspective.
‘It gave me a weird feeling in my stomach,’ Antonio told BBC One programme Morning Live.
‘It just made me realise how close I was to dying. I had seen the pictures, but it was 10 times worse in person. The car was an absolute mess. It was difficult for me.
‘All I know is that I hit a tree – I don’t know how I hit a tree – and that the police came and when they found me in the car, I was in between the two seats.
‘From the crash, I’ve been more of an emotional man. I was avoiding going back because I was slightly embarrassed by the crash and the accident. Obviously I’ve almost died in the car crash.’
