Former England footballer Adam Johnson has been sentenced to six years in prison for grooming and engaging in sexual activity with a 15-year-old fan.
Johnson showed no emotion as he was sentenced at Bradford Crown Court by Judge Jonathan Rose.
The former Sunderland and Manchester City winger was found guilty of sexual activity with the teenager following an incident in his Range Rover in County Durham last year. He admitted another charge of sexual activity with a child and grooming the girl. Johnson stood with his hands behind his back as the judge – who said the girl had “suffered severe psychological harm” – passed sentence.
BREAKING: Adam Johnson jailed for SIX years for child sex offences
— Josh Halliday (@JoshHalliday) March 24, 2016
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.” He added that the footballer’s intention had been to engage in sexual activity with her, knowing that she was under 16. The judge said Johnson had exchanged more than 800 messages with her, which had largely been innocent.
Judge says Johnson is entitled to no more than a 10% reduction in his sentence because of his late guilty pleas to two child sex offences
— Josh Halliday (@JoshHalliday) March 24, 2016
“All of this is entirely your own responsibility and fault,” the judge tells Johnson as he gears up to sentence him
— Josh Halliday (@JoshHalliday) March 24, 2016
Read More: eurosport
