Adam Johnson loses appeal against conviction and jail sentence.
Last updated 16th Mar 2017
Former England, Sunderland and Middlesbrough footballer Adam Johnson has lost his appeal against being jailed for engaging in sexual activity with a besotted 15-year-old fan.
His application for permission to appeal was dismissed by three judges in London on Thursday.
The Court of Appeal judges also rejected his bid for a reduction in his six-year jail sentence.
The decisions in renewed applications made by 29-year-old Johnson - following earlier refusals by a single judge - were made by Lady Justice Rafferty, Mr Justice Sweeney and the Recorder of Sheffield, Judge Julian Goose.
The judges heard renewed applications on Johnson's behalf at a recent hearing following a previous refusal by a single judge.
At the start of his trial at Bradford Crown Court, Johnson admitted grooming the girl and one charge of sexual activity with a child, relating to kissing her.
He denied there was any further sexual activity with the girl in his Range Rover when he met up with her in County Durham.
The former Sunderland and Manchester City winger was found guilty by a jury in March last year of one offence of sexual activity with a child. He was cleared of one charge relating to another sexual act.
Judge Jonathan Rose, when sentencing, said he was satisfied the girl suffered severe psychological harm'' and that Johnson took advantage ofa young teenager's adoration of a successful celebrity''.
At the centre of his fight against conviction is a criticism that the trial judge misdirected'' the jury on issues of hiscredibility''.
Eleanor Laws QC, representing Johnson at the Court of Appeal, argued that this must have had an adverse and unfair impact on the credibility of Adam Johnson in a case where credibility was the central issue, hence the conviction is unsafe''.