Adam Johnson’s victim felt ‘used and let down by him’
Adam Johnson’s victim has spoken out after he's been found guilty on one count of sexual activity with a child and cleared on a second count.
Adam Johnson’s victim has spoken out after he's been found guilty on one count of sexual activity with a child and cleared on a second count.
Jurors at Bradford Crown Court convicted the former Sunderland FC winger by a majority of 10-2 after Judge Jonathan Rose said he would accept a majority verdict.
The 28-year-old admitted grooming a 15-year-old girl and sexual activity with the teenager, relating to kissing her in his Range Rover, but denied the two more serious charges of sexual activity with a child - one involving oral sex and another involving digital penetration.
The 15 year old girl has released this statement:
“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. 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.”
Det Insp Aelfwynn Sampson, of Durham Constabulary, said:
“Adam Johnson was a Premiership footballer, an England International. He was living most schoolboys’ dreams of playing professional football for his hometown club.
“In this football-obsessed region he was idolised by thousands. However, Johnson exploited his position as a local hero to take advantage of a young and impressionable girl.
“This was not a case where he didn’t know how old a girl was. From the start of their contact, he knew full well that she had just turned 15 and yet this did not stop him.
“The law is clear. The legal age of consent is set at 16 to protect young people. He no doubt thought that he would get away it, but today demonstrates that no one is above the law.
“We would like to thank the victim for her courage in coming forward and her family for supporting her through this incredibly difficult time over the 12 months it has taken to reach this conclusion.
“I hope this case demonstrates that the police and Crown Prosecution Service take all allegations of sexual abuse extremely seriously.
“We would encourage people with any information about sexual abuse or who has been a victim of sexual abuse to come forward and report their concerns confident in the knowledge it will be investigated appropriately and with sensitivity."