The trial of Adam Johnson (part 2)

Replying to questions from his defence barrister, Mr Johnson also admitted he had texted "other women".


****ing pathetic this.

 

Adam Johnson “wholeheartedly” apologised to the teenager he groomed in a written statement read out in court today.

The footballer refused to comment in his third interview with police but handed over a statement.

In the statement he claimed his relationship with the teenager started platonic.

He said: “At the second meeting I accept that I kissed her fully.”

He told police he had “effectively been cyber flirting” with the teen via messages which have been read out in court, adding that “after the second meeting and upon considerable consideration of her age and my own circumstances,” he ceased contact with the girl.

He added: “I recognise my behaviour was wholly unacceptable. I wholeheartedly and unreservedly apologise to the girl for the stupidity of my actions.
“I accept that she was a child and ought to have been safe in my company.”

 

Adam Johnson has taken the stand at Bradford Crown Court and admitted his lifestyle as a professional footballer made him arrogant.

When asked by Orlando Pownall QC what it is like to be a professional footballer the former Black Cat star said: “It’s every young boy’s dream, people screaming your name.”

“It’s the best feeling in the world but you also get everything done for you, you get a lot of things easy.”

He told the jury that his career had made him wealthier than he ever thought he would be but it made him arrogant and slowed down his maturity.

Johnson has admitted he was not a “good person” to his girlfriend Stacey Flounders and baby daughter in January and February of last year.

He told the court: “Our relationship was not very good. It was all my fault.

“I’d been speaking to people that I shouldn’t have been and I hadn’t been a very good person to her and my daughter.”

Johnson told the court he sent explicit messages to a number of different women “in their mid-twenties” at around the same time he messaged the teenage girl.

Johnson has said he recognised the teenager when she tried to add him in Facebook in late December 2014.

He added: “I knew she’d been at the ground asking me for a shirt - at the time I didn’t think it was a problem.”

Orlando Pownall QC asked Johnson: “At that time did you contemplate a sexual encounter with the girl?” Johnson replied: “No.”

Mr Pownall QC has quoted Johnson’s message to the girl “You can’t tell anyone that your talking to me,” and asked why he was so concerned at that early stage.

Johnson replied: “There was lots of reasons, I had a girlfriend, I knew what could be made of talking to a girl that young, I didn’t want her telling her friend and then all asking for a shirt as if I just did it for anyone.

“I didn’t want anyone to find out”, he added.

 

Johnson comes across as a bit of a thicko from what I have saw of him, so I would guess that this letter of apology has been written for him..

 

Johnson told the court that his Sunderland Football Club teammates were also Whatsapp to message other people.

The former footballer has said that he was merely chatting with team mates about different laws around the world when he searched on Google the age of consent.

Mr Pownall QC asked: “As far as you are aware would any of your club mates be Whatsapping people?”

Johnson said: “Yes.”

Mr Pownall QC enquired: “To the extent that you were.”

Johnson replied: “Yes.”

Mr Pownall QC asked: “More so?”

And Johnson said: “yes”

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Arsehole. I bet the lads at Sunderland really hate him now. He didn't need to say that

 

sorry. i really cant see a long sentence here.

 

They have **** all on him!!

Slimey little ****s gonna walk. Comforting at least his football career is over

 

The defence are going at him now. We'll know by the end of the day if they've got anything on him. They need to pull a rabbit out of the hat to turn this around.

 

From what I have saw and heard so far, I still believe he could end up getting a custodial sentence.

 

Neither can I . . . . 'cos it only contains 9 words

 

Can't be, He denied everything at first and he submitted all not guilty pleas at first plea. We liaised with lawyers and the PFA after his suspension was put in place, next thing the suspension is lifted. Easy to see what happened. All three parties will all have had the same info to go on. Clearly there there wasn't even legal grounds keep him suspended let alone sack the nonce. The PFA are a very powerful and influential body in football as we all know. Everything points to that being bollocks imo.

 

I think the snake will get a suspended sentence like.

 

I agree he must be lying there, as far as I'm aware due to confidentiality the police wouldn't be able to tell you what he said in interview? And why would he have told you?

As you say, bollocks.

 

Bold call.

 

I don't reckon so, he's still guilty of grooming and the judge will still want to send a message out cos he's a PL footballer. He'll serve something, it won't be anywhere near enough, but reckon he'll see the inside of a cell.

 

The police have admitted in court today that they didn't tell Sunderland anything of what had been said in the interviews, with Johnson.

 

I'm not convinced he's going to serve time, but if he does, he'll be in and out, this year.

 

Yeah I know it was literally the officer giving evidence before him as well!

 

Even though I think it probably happened there's been no proof at all so far for the charges he's on trial for, he pleaded guilty to the others, he's apologised and shown remorse, combined with the inconsistencies throughout the CPS' case with the victim hiding and withholding evidence and information I think he could escape custodial. People have avoided jail for worse. Makes me feel sick inside but I think he'll get a suspended sentence, community service and signing the sex offenders register.

 

For the grooming charge alone, I'm pretty sure that it is mandatory, he gets a custodial sentence, but the growing feeling is that the judge might suspend this.

Hopefully not, he deserves to be punished properly for what he's done...