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Adam Johnson guilty of child sex charge | Adam Johnson guilty of child sex charge |
(35 minutes later) | |
Ex-England footballer Adam Johnson has been found guilty of one count of sexual activity with a girl aged 15. | Ex-England footballer Adam Johnson has been found guilty of one count of sexual activity with a girl aged 15. |
The jury at Bradford Crown Court found Johnson guilty of a charge of sexual touching, but not guilty on a charge relating to another sexual act. | The jury at Bradford Crown Court found Johnson guilty of a charge of sexual touching, but not guilty on a charge relating to another sexual act. |
The former Sunderland player had previously admitted grooming the girl and one charge of sexual activity. | The former Sunderland player had previously admitted grooming the girl and one charge of sexual activity. |
Judge Jonathan Rose has warned Johnson he faces a potential prison sentence of five years. | Judge Jonathan Rose has warned Johnson he faces a potential prison sentence of five years. |
Live reaction to Adam Johnson's conviction | Live reaction to Adam Johnson's conviction |
In a statement, Johnson's victim said she had been through the "hardest year" of her life. | |
She said meeting her hero felt "surreal" at first but she now feels "used and let down" by Johnson. | |
She said: "I have had to face so much abuse after he claimed his innocence and I was made out to be a liar. | |
"What happened in his car has turned my life upside down. | |
"There are people who have made assumptions about me and this has been hard to deal with... Him being found guilty shows everyone I was telling the truth." | |
'Significant sentence' | |
The judge said his preliminary view was that the case falls into the category of a five-year prison sentence with a range of four to 10 years. | The judge said his preliminary view was that the case falls into the category of a five-year prison sentence with a range of four to 10 years. |
He said: "The defendant must understand there is a very high probability of a significant custodial sentence." | He said: "The defendant must understand there is a very high probability of a significant custodial sentence." |
Johnson, 28, showed no emotion as the verdicts were delivered and he has been granted bail until his sentencing, which is due to take place in two to three weeks. | Johnson, 28, showed no emotion as the verdicts were delivered and he has been granted bail until his sentencing, which is due to take place in two to three weeks. |
Johnson met up with the girl on 30 January 2015 after agreeing to sign football shirts for her, the court heard. | Johnson met up with the girl on 30 January 2015 after agreeing to sign football shirts for her, the court heard. |
The player admitted kissing the teenager but told the jury the encounter in his Range Rover "went no further". | The player admitted kissing the teenager but told the jury the encounter in his Range Rover "went no further". |
However the girl told the court the former winger "put his hands down her pants" and she performed an oral sex act on him. | However the girl told the court the former winger "put his hands down her pants" and she performed an oral sex act on him. |
The jury, which had been deliberating since Tuesday morning following a three-week trial, cleared Johnson over the oral sex claim but convicted him by a 10-2 majority on the sexual touching charge. | The jury, which had been deliberating since Tuesday morning following a three-week trial, cleared Johnson over the oral sex claim but convicted him by a 10-2 majority on the sexual touching charge. |
Johnson was sacked by Sunderland after admitting on the first day of his trial that he had kissed the girl. | Johnson was sacked by Sunderland after admitting on the first day of his trial that he had kissed the girl. |
'Gifted' footballer's fall from grace | 'Gifted' footballer's fall from grace |
He began communicating with the girl at the very end of 2014 while his partner, Stacey Flounders, was heavily pregnant with their first child. | He began communicating with the girl at the very end of 2014 while his partner, Stacey Flounders, was heavily pregnant with their first child. |
The victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was a Sunderland season ticket holder and was "infatuated" with Johnson. | The victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was a Sunderland season ticket holder and was "infatuated" with Johnson. |
Johnson told the jury that when she sent him a friend request on Facebook he recognised her as a Sunderland fan. | Johnson told the jury that when she sent him a friend request on Facebook he recognised her as a Sunderland fan. |
After he accepted the request he began a communication which involved 834 WhatsApp messages in little more than a month before the exchanges moved on to SnapChat and were not recorded. | After he accepted the request he began a communication which involved 834 WhatsApp messages in little more than a month before the exchanges moved on to SnapChat and were not recorded. |
During the trial, prosecutors accused Johnson of delaying his admission to the lesser offences until the start of his trial so he could still play for Sunderland, from whom he earned £60,000 a week. | |
Johnson told the court the club knew he had kissed the girl, but in a statement issued after the verdict Sunderland denied the claim. | |
The club said it played no part in Johnson's plea decisions and only became aware he had kissed the girl when he admitted it in court, at which point they sacked him. | |
Sunderland's statement said: "Had the club known that Mr Johnson intended to plead guilty to any of these charges then his employment would have been terminated immediately. | |
"Indeed, upon learning of the guilty plea on 11 February 2016, the club acted quickly and decisively in terminating Adam Johnson's contract without notice. | |
"This has been an extremely difficult time for all involved. The victim and her family have endured an unimaginable ordeal in the last 12 months and we trust that they will now be allowed to move on with their lives without further intrusion or public scrutiny." |