Watford striker Michail Antonio denies driving £2.2m Lamborghini through London - insisting he was in Manchester
The 36-year-old is accused of failing to identify the guilty driver when contacted by the Metropolitan Police over a late-night incident around Pall Mall.
Watford footballer Michail Antonio has told a court he was not behind the wheel of a Lamborghini supercar when it was caught being driven badly through central London.
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The 36-year-old is accused of failing to identify the guilty driver when contacted by the Metropolitan Police over a late-night incident around Pall Mall.
Giving evidence at Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, Antonio insisted he was in Manchester that day and he had handed over the keys to the Lamborghini to a company so it could be loaned out.
“I was in Manchester seeing my kids,” the former West Ham forward said, telling magistrates he has messages to prove he was away for three days.
Antonio claims he did not receive the initial police letter asking for the driver details, and says he called on his friend, Tarique Josephs, who owns the car hire company, to reply when he was charged with a criminal offence.
“I was in shock,” Antonio said of his reaction to finding out he was being prosecuted.
“How can I be charged with something I haven’t done? This is the first time I was aware of that.”
Antonio has been charged with failing to identify the driver of a vehicle suspected of a motoring offence when a police letter was sent to his £2.2million Buckinghamshire mansion.
“I called Tarique Josephs, the person who rents my car every now and then,” he told the court.
“When someone calls up for a Lamborghini, he will call me and say can I use your Lamborghini.
“I worked out he had the car at the time, he has come across to me to collect the forms, and said he would send the details.”
Antonio said his girlfriend Sunita Baines usually deals with his post and only shows him important letters that he needs to deal with.
He said when the prosecution notice arrived, Josephs filled out the forms and he believes the details of the guilty driver were provided.
Court papers show Antonio was the registered keeper of the Lamborghini Urus which was involved in an incident on Pall Mall at 12.38am on November 5 last year.
The Met says it wrote to him on November 12 last year to seek the identity of the driver and he failed to respond, sparking a criminal prosecution.
Antonio’s playing career was derailed in December 2024 when he crashed a Ferrari in Epping Forest in Essex, suffering a badly-broken leg.
The Jamaica international spent three weeks in hospital and was out of the game recovering from his injuries for more than half a year.
Antonio, who has played for Reading, Sheffield Wednesday and Nottingham Forest, became West Ham’s top scorer in the Premier League during 10 years at the club.
He left in summer 2025, joining Al-Sailiya in Qatar where he made four appearances and then signed for Watford on a free transfer earlier this month.
Giving evidence for the defence, Josephs told the court he had filled out the form in response to the prosecution and said he entered the not guilty plea.
He said evidence of the actual driver of the Lamborghini was put into the same envelope with the response to the prosecution.