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| Adam Johnson case: Sunderland AFC 'must reveal what it knew' | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Sunderland Football Club is being pressed to explain when it knew the full extent of Adam Johnson's sexual activity with a 15-year-old fan. | Sunderland Football Club is being pressed to explain when it knew the full extent of Adam Johnson's sexual activity with a 15-year-old fan. |
| The England winger was convicted on Wednesday of sexual activity with the girl after admitting he groomed her. | The England winger was convicted on Wednesday of sexual activity with the girl after admitting he groomed her. |
| The club should explain why Johnson was allowed to continue playing after he was charged, a women's charity said. | The club should explain why Johnson was allowed to continue playing after he was charged, a women's charity said. |
| In a statement, the club said that had it known he planned to plead guilty he would have been sacked immediately. | In a statement, the club said that had it known he planned to plead guilty he would have been sacked immediately. |
| However, during the trial, the jury was told that, before the case came to court, club bosses had seen all the 834 WhatsApp messages the pair sent to each other, along with transcripts of police interviews. | However, during the trial, the jury was told that, before the case came to court, club bosses had seen all the 834 WhatsApp messages the pair sent to each other, along with transcripts of police interviews. |
| 'Vilified by strangers' | 'Vilified by strangers' |
| Clare Phillipson, director of charity Wearside Women in Need, said by allowing Johnson to continue playing it made "tens of thousands of fans and lots of other people" think he was probably innocent, leaving the teenager "vilified and not believed". | |
| "They have given a statement but I think there are questions that are just not answered in that statement, around what Johnson said in court, about what they knew and when. | "They have given a statement but I think there are questions that are just not answered in that statement, around what Johnson said in court, about what they knew and when. |
| "We need to consider the impact on this child of somebody, week after week, being cheered and supported while, at the same time, on social media she was being vilified by thousands of complete strangers to her." | "We need to consider the impact on this child of somebody, week after week, being cheered and supported while, at the same time, on social media she was being vilified by thousands of complete strangers to her." |
| The club has been approached for clarification on who knew what, when, and why it lifted Johnson's suspension. | The club has been approached for clarification on who knew what, when, and why it lifted Johnson's suspension. |
| Johnson, 28, was cleared of another more serious charge of sexual activity with a child but was warned he faces a "substantial prison sentence". | Johnson, 28, was cleared of another more serious charge of sexual activity with a child but was warned he faces a "substantial prison sentence". |
| Ms Phillipson said Johnson had access to the girl, a Sunderland fan, as a "direct result" of working for the club and of her "idolising him as a high profile player of her club". | Ms Phillipson said Johnson had access to the girl, a Sunderland fan, as a "direct result" of working for the club and of her "idolising him as a high profile player of her club". |
| Press conference | Press conference |
| It was not a case of when the club knew he was going to plead guilty, but when it knew he had met her, exchanged messages and been alone with her in a car, she said. | It was not a case of when the club knew he was going to plead guilty, but when it knew he had met her, exchanged messages and been alone with her in a car, she said. |
| Johnson was suspended on his arrest but this was lifted two weeks later after the football club took legal advice and carried out a safeguarding assessment, Sunderland's statement said. | |
| Claims that the club was involved in "tactical discussions about his plea" to allow him to continue to play were "utterly without foundation" and "refuted in the strongest possible terms", the Premier League club said. | |
| It would not be commenting further, it said. The club is due to hold a pre-match press conference later. |