- Player has been sentenced to six years for sexual activity with a child
- Judge says he has shown no remorse and abused his position in society
- He tells player: 'You made a deliberate decision... no doubt in the expectation that you would get away with it'
- Johnson's lawyer says his conviction appeal has been lodged today
- Victim says she has been approached by strangers in public over case
- Neither Johnson's sister or his ex Stacey Flounders was at hearing
Disgraced
footballer Adam Johnson was arrested over possession of animal
pornography, it can be revealed for the first time today after he was
jailed for six years. Johnson's phone and laptop were seized after his arrest at home in County Durham in March last year.
The
28-year-old was then re-arrested on suspicion of possessing extreme
pornography but was not charged with the offence as the police
investigation focused on his meetings with the girl.
He
has since been told he will not face action over the bestiality images,
as he prepares for jail for the more serious child sex offences.
The former £60,000-a-week Sunderland winger showed no emotion today as Judge Jonathan Rose handed him the six-year sentence.
Details
of Johnson's stash of animal porn images could not be reported during
his trial, but were revealed today after the case concluded.It can also be revealed that medication for sexually-transmitted diseases was found at his home during a police search.
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| Adam Johnson, pictured in a court sketch with Judge Jonathan Rose, was jailed for six years today |
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| Johnson ran into court this morning. The judge said the disgraced footballer had shown no remorse |
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| Johnson leaves court in a prison van this afternoon. He will spend his first night behind bars tonight |
Searches
of his computers also revealed that Johnson regularly visited a website
called 'Nice Young Teens', which shows pictures of girls just over the
age of consent.
He also joked about having sex with women on the bonnet of his Range Rover.
Sentencing
Johnson today, the judge said the footballer had shown no remorse for
what he had done, adding: 'This will be your first prison sentence, this
is all entirely your fault.' The
judge said the offence was aggravated by the fact Johnson took the girl
to a dark place, tried to conceal his crimes and the impact on his
victim, who now suffers 'night terrors' and needs therapy.
The
judge added: 'You are trusted by young fans to behave properly... You
were a respected Sunderland footballer, that is why you were able to
commit these offences.'
Johnson,
who sat chewing gum during the hearing, will serve half of his sentence
in prison before being freed to spend the rest on licence. He will be
on the sex offenders' register for the rest of his life.
Johnson
sprinted into court to avoid cameras this morning ahead of a sentencing
hearing, which heard he felt he had a 'right to sex' and put this
victim's age 'out of his mind'.
The
judge said the victim had been a Sunderland fan who would wait after
matches to take pictures of her 'favourite player', Johnson, who had
known her age. He
said: 'That was known to you - to put it another way she had only just
turned 15 when you began grooming her, because as you were to admit you
found her sexually attractive.'
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| Johnson was guarded by a team of minders as he made his dash for the door of the courtroom this morning |
The judge said Johnson had exchanged more than 800 messages with her, which had largely been innocent. But
he added: 'You continued in your grooming of this girl even after you
were engaged in sexual activity with her. You wanted no-one to know that
you and she were exchanging messages.
'You asked her to find a place to meet that was private and secluded so no-one would see you in her company.'
Judge
Rose told Johnson the offences happened at a time when he was 'engaged
in frequent sexual intercourse with multiple partners'. He
said: 'You made a deliberate decision to engage in sexual activity with
this young girl, no doubt in the expectation that you would get away
with it.'
The
judge said Johnson's decision not to plead guilty meant that the girl
was subjected to a year of being called a liar, including having this
being chanted by football fans.
He said she reached her 'lowest ebb' after giving evidence in the trial.
 |
| Gerry Wareham, CPS Chief Crown Prosecutor for the North East, reads a statement outside Bradford Crown Court following the hearing |
Judge
Rose added: 'She speaks of entering many dark places in that year and
said she had suffered bullying and stress and had underachieved at
school as a result of the case.'
Earlier
in the hearing, prosecutor Kate Blackwell QC had told the court today
that Johnson has 'a compulsive drive to have new sexual experiences' and
took advantage of the girl's 'adulation'.
Dr
Philip Hopley, a consultant psychiatrist giving evidence for the
defence, told the court: 'This is a man who, at the age of 28, is
socially and psychologically immature.'
Dr
Hopley said he believed that as a professional footballer he developed
his confidence and self-esteem very quickly and this, combined with the
availability of willing women, led to his 'compulsive sexual behaviour'.
The doctor said he found no evidence in Johnson of an attraction to pre-pubescent children or 'sexual perversion'.
According to the judge, Johnson told a psychiatrist: 'I treated (the teenager) like any of the girls I met. 'I
put her age out of my mind. I was sexually interested but she was just
another girl, another opportunity. She was attractive enough. Another
one to get with.'
The
prosecutor, Ms Blackwell, also told the court that Johnson had a
history of meeting women for sex on his way home from training,
describing it as a 'clandestine habit'.
Johnson's
lawyer Orlando Pownall QC asked whether Johnson told him that sending
explicit messages was 'common practice amongst his fellow professional
footballers and associates.'
The psychiatrist replied: 'That is correct.'
Defence
QC Mr Pownall continued: 'He has lost a lucrative career he will never
be able to retrieve. He has been stripped of his England caps. He has
been made the subject of national humiliation and these are all aspects
of punishment that arise from his pleas and conviction.'
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| Adam Johnson's parents Dave and Sonia, who supported him during the trial leave court after the sentencing |
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| Detective Inspector Aelfwynn Sampson (right) said after the case: 'Fame, celebrity and a position of power does not give you the right to break the law' |
He added that Johnson's conduct towards women 'is, and could properly be described as deplorable'.
The
QC added: 'He does not pose a significant risk of harm to children, for
(victim) was not selected on her age but despite her age.'
He said that despite the huge publicity surrounding the case, no other underage girls have complained about Johnson.
'This
is not the case of a predatory paedophile who has sought out children
for sexual purposes,' he said; 'This was an aberration.'
Johnson
had his car drive down one side of the courtroom when he arrived at
court this morning. He then sprinted towards the door from another side,
in a bid to avoid being pictured by photographers.
After
Johnson arrived in the dock, his barrister told the court an appeal
against his conviction is due to be lodged this morning.
After
the former England player was jailed, Detective Inspector Aelfwynn
Sampson, of Durham Constabulary, said: 'This is a carefully considered
and significant sentence which sends out a clear message. 'Fame, celebrity and a position of power does not give you the right to break the law in pursuit of whatever you desire.'
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| Johnson's sister Faye posted this message on his Appeal Fight Facebook group ahead of today's hearing |
Johnson's sister (left) said she would be staying at home with his ex Stacey Flounders (right) today
Earlier
this morning, Johnson's sister Faye, who has set up a Facebook group in
support of his appeal, said today is 'the worst day of my life'.
She
posted a photo of him with his daughter on the Facebook page and said
neither she nor Johnson's former partner, Stacey Flounders, will be at
today's hearing.
In the post, Ms Johnson said: 'Today is the sentencing for my brother, the worst day of my life.
'I
just wanted to let all of the supporters know that I will not be
attending Bradford Crown Court, the reason for this is Adam has always
been my hero, my brother and my best friend, I just don't want him to
see the pain in my eyes! 'Instead I will be at home with my little boy, Adam's number 1 fan, Adam's daughter and the mother of his child Stacey. 'I remain proud of my big brother and I am 100% behind him and I always will be.'
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| Stacey Flounders, Johnson's ex who stood by him during the trial, was seen leaving his mansion today |
The footballer befriended his victim at the end of 2014 before sending her hundreds of messages on Snapchat and WhatsApp.
His
grooming began at the time his then-girlfriend Stacey Flounders was
pregnant and continued after she gave birth their daughter.
Johnson
twice met his victim in January last year. At the first meeting he gave
her signed football shirts before pleading with her for a 'thank you
kiss'.
When the pair met up for a second time, they kissed and, the jury found, Johnson put his hands down the girl's trousers.
He
later sent her messages saying he had 'wanted to get her jeans off' and
they should 'get in the back' of the car next time. Johnson also looked
up 'legal age of consent' online, but claimed it was nothing to do with
the girl. The girl was later taunted online after telling her friends of her meeting with Johnson and broke down and told her parents.
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| A security guard with a German Shepherd opened the gates of Adam Johnson's home this morning |
Johnson
was arrested in March last year but denied any wrongdoing for months
and continued to play for Sunderland, earning millions.
He
then admitted kissing and grooming the girl at the beginning of his
trial before being found guilty of sexual activity with a child. He was
cleared of another count of the same offence.
His
denials meant his victim had to go through two gruelling days of giving
evidence and the prosecution accused him of 'playing games with the
courts'. Ms
Flounders, who gave evidence saying she believed Johnson hadn't done
anything more than kiss than girl, revealed during the trial that they
had split up.
After
the trial ended, a row erupted over just how much Sunderland AFC knew
about what its player had done when it let him play on before finally
sacking him earlier this year after his guilty pleas.
The club later said it was 'so very sorry' for letting down its 15-year-old fan after chief executive Margaret Byrne resigned.
Ms
Byrne admitted 'a serious error of judgment' in advising the board that
the star winger could carry on playing after he was initially suspended
last March.
Johnson, a £10 million signing, helped the Wearside team to narrowly avoid relegation from the Premier League last year.
The
player - who was capped 12 times for England - has a one-year-old
daughter with Ms Flounders, who supported him during the court case but
who told the jury they were now just friends.
THE JUDGE'S REASONING: HOW JUDGE JONATHAN ROSE CAME TO THE SENTENCE HE DID WHEN DEALING WITH THE ADAM JOHNSON CASE
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| Judge Jonathan Rose's comments in court today |
Judge Jonathan Rose said today:
'In
my view that offence is also a Category A offence in terms of
culpability. I identify the following factors as being present: There
was undoubtedly significant planning involved, in the communications and
in the arrangement of meetings.
There
is an abuse of trust, inasmuch as those who enjoy positions of what
today is known as 'celebrity' are trusted by their fans and the family
of fans to act in an entirely appropriate manner towards, in particular,
young people who are less able to protect themselves.
You solicited sexual images of [the victim], albeit that you did not receive any naked photographs of her.
There was a significant disparity in age; [she] was 15 and you 27 at the time. I
identify the following aggravating factors: the location and timing of
the offence – the dark and secluded location and the efforts to dispose
of or conceal evidence.
You made to have [the victim] dispose of the WhatsApp messages and you yourself deleted over 800 messages.
You required the subsequent change to using Snapchat messages because they would automatically delete.
You repeatedly directed [the victim] that she should tell no one what was happening as between you.
A further aggravating factor in such cases is where there is severe psychological harm...
I have read with care the reports to which I have already referred and listed with care to Dr Hopley.
It
seems to me they speak of a person with a gift for football who enjoyed
success from an early age, yet whose immaturity both physical and
mental caused difficulties and may in part explain why, notably when you
had moved to play for Manchester City you embarked on an extensive
social life which involved sexual activity on a very frequent basis with
a number of different partners, even when you were ostensibly in a
settled relationship.
...Accordingly,
the total sentence is one of 6 years' imprisonment... The sentence you
must serve will doubtless contribute to deterring you from future
offending.'
Disgraced
footballer Adam Johnson will leave his £2million mansion behind tonight
and faces humiliation at Armley prison during his first night behind
bars
Millionaire
Adam Johnson will experience quite the culture shock this evening after
leaving behind his lavish footballer lifestyle behind in exchange for
his new existence as a prisoner.
The
28-year-old has been taken to HM Prison Leeds in Armley for his first
night in custody, before he is likely to be transferred to Frankland,
where he will swap sharing the pitch with Wayne Rooney and Joe Hart for
sharing a prison with inmates such as child killers Levi Bellfield and
Ian Huntley.
One
of the country's most notorious and roughest jails, Frankland in Durham
houses 808 category A and B prisoners serving four years or more.
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| The 28-year-old millionaire has been taken to HM Prison Leeds in Armley, shown, for his first night in custody.
After
arriving at Armley for the first time directly from Bradford Crown
Court via prison van, Johnson will be handed over to reception staff who
will book him in, cataloging all his personal possessions such as
money, jewellery and clothes. He
will be asked to verify who he is and then given a unique prison
number, before being led to his cell for the night having been issued
prison clothing.During
his first night, Johnson will be on strict suicide watch, with prison
guards tasked with continually checking up on him, even waking him as he
sleeps to make sure he is still alive. As
a high profile inmate and one who has been convicted of child sex
offences, Johnson is likely to be given increased security from prison
staff who will be fearful that he may be attacked by fellow inmates.
|
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| HM Prison Frankland, home to child killers Levi Bellfield and Ian Huntley, is likely where Adam Johnson will serve the majority of his custodial sentence |
Adam Johnson's teenage victim was so traumatised after giving evidence for two days during the trial she took an overdose Adam
Johnson's victim took an overdose of tablets after two gruelling days
being cross-examined at his trial, it can be revealed today. The
youngster was rushed to hospital the night after her second day of
questioning via a video-link by Johnson's QC, Orlando Pownall. The
girl, who broke down after telling the court she'd been called 'every
name under the sun' since Johnson's arrest, was later discharged by
doctors.
The dose of the over-the-counter medicine she took was not lethal and she returned home with her family later the same night. The
details of her desperate actions were previously the subject of a court
order but can be reported today after Johnson's case concluded and he
was jailed for six years.
Today's sentencing hearing heard the girl has suffered 'severe psychological harm' because of the ex-Sunderland star's actions.
Prosecutor
Kate Blackwell QC told Bradford Crown Court: 'The most apparent feature
in the view of the Crown is the severe psychological harm that the
defendant has caused to the victim.'
The court heard that the victim had suffered at school both in her schoolwork and with bullying because of Johnson's crimes.
When
she was out with her grandparents, the girl was even approached by a
stranger who questioned her relationship with the footballer, the court
heard.
The
prosecutor also pointed to the harassment of the victim on social
media, saying those close to the player 'encouraged and promoted' the
abuse by providing a social media platform.
Miss Blackwell told the court: 'He must have been aware of conduct carried out in his name.'
Miss
Blackwell read part of the girl's impact statement to the court, which
said: 'This whole experience has been overwhelming. Through the process I
have had many hard times.' She said she now 'felt at risk' going out. The
statement said that because Johnson had protested his innocence she
'felt very intimidated by it all and felt very lonely. I have entered
many dark places over this 12-month period and at times wanted to just
shut the whole world out'.
The
teenage victim's mother said in a statement that her family had 'taken
no satisfaction' in the impact the case had on Johnson's family and
stressed that at no time had they tried to seek any financial gain.
'My family and I take no satisfaction in the impact it has had on his family and football fans.'
The
victim's mother added that her daughter had been the victim of
thousands of 'slanderous' and 'malicious' remarks and threats of
violence on social media. The mother said she had felt 'powerless', adding: 'A mother's instinct is to protect and support their children.'
'I'VE BEEN IN SOME VERY DARK PLACES': FULL STATEMENT IN WHICH VICTIM DESCRIBES THE 'WORST YEAR OF HER LIFE' AS SHE WAS GROOMED FOR SEX BY JOHNSON THEN ABUSED BY TROLLS ONLINE FOR REPORTING HIM
In a statement released through the police, the victim said:
'From
the very beginning of all of this I always doubted that people would
believe me. I was talking to Adam Johnson, it was surreal for me. He was
my favourite football player for Sunderland, a club I was a massive
supporter of. As a Sunderland fan I absolutely idolised Adam.
He
was my hero. I attended the home games whenever I could. It was
something I looked forward to.When Adam messaged me I was in shock and
disbelief. I didn't even believe it was Adam at first. He had to prove
to me that it was him because it was that surreal.
 |
| The victim had to watch Johnson worshipped by football crowds while she was branded 'a liar, a slut and a slag' |
He
offered me a match-worn signed shirt so I was obviously over the moon.
He asked me straight away how old I was and I said '15' because I didn't
see it as a problem as I was only getting a signed shirt.
In
fact, I told him that I had only just turned 15. I was overwhelmed by
all of this. This was my favourite player and he was texting me. I
felt used and let down by him. It's been the hardest year of my life
and I've had to face so much abuse after he claimed his innocence. I was
made out to be a liar, if anything, I held things back because I didn't
want all of this to come out.
What happened in his car has turned my life upside down. I have lost all of my confidence. My school work has suffered.
There
are people out there who have made assumptions about me and that alone
has been hard to deal with. I have been unable to defend myself
publically. The
gossip on social media and hearing all of the horrible names that
people have been calling me has been devastating to me, my friends and
my family. People were lying about me and what I had said.
They
don't understand the impact their words can have on someone. Him being
found guilty, shows everyone I was telling the truth. I
hope people can see that everything is not always as it first seems and
opinions should only be based on facts and not on rumours.
The
last 12 months have been horrendous and there have been times when I've
wanted to hide away from the world. There have been times I haven't
felt able to face people. There
have been times when I've tried not to show people how upset I am, but
sometimes it hasn't been possible and I'd just cry. I've felt so broken.
I've
been in some very dark places over that time and I thought the trial
and giving evidence, having my say, would give me closure. But it
didn't. It put me back into the same dark places and I felt worse than
I've ever felt before. This was because I still didn't feel believed.
I
feel sad for Stacey and what she has been through. I hope Adam realises
the hurt and damage he has caused. I now want to put this awful
experience behind me and begin to rebuild my life. I hope I can move on
from this and look to the future.'
JOHNSON
NOT STRIPPED OF CAPS, DESPITE BARRISTER'S CLAIMS
Adam Johnson has not been stripped
of his 12 England caps, despite claims that were heard in court on Thursday.
During the 28-year-old's sentencing
hearing at Bradford Crown Court, his barrister, Orlando Pownall QC, said that
he had been stripped of his international honours. However, FA sources have
told Sportsmail that in fact is not the case - with the former footballer's
international career still recognised.
Mr Pownall said: 'He has been
stripped of his England caps. He has lost a lucrative career that he will never
be able to retrieve and is a figure of national humiliation.'
Johnson's last appearance for
England was on May 26, 2012 during a 1-0 victory in Norway ahead of Euro 2012.
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