An English Premier League soccer player and England international has pleaded guilty to one count of sexual activity with a child.
Sunderland forward Adam Johnson appeared at Bradford Crown Court in the north of England where he denied two further child sex allegations, but admitted to one count of grooming a girl under the age of 16, the court confirmed to CNN.
Johnson, who last played for England in August 2012, was arrested in March 2015 and was initially suspended by Sunderland before returning to the team a fortnight later.
Sunderland declined to comment on the grounds the case was ongoing with a trial set to start on Friday. Johnson played and scored for the team during last weekend's 2-2 draw with Liverpool.Johnson entered two guilty pleas when the charges were read out to him by the court clerk.
Johnson is accused of grooming the teenager between 30 December 2014 and 26 February 2015 and having met with her to carry out sexual activity knowing that she was under 16, the age of consent. Standing in the dock, Johnson answered “guilty”.
In a second count, Johnson is charged with intentionally touching the complainant in a sexual way knowing that she was under 16. He briefly consulted his legal team before answering “guilty, yeah”.
A panel of prospective jurors were sworn in after Johnson entered his pleas. Before they were released, the judge, Jonathan Rose, said: “This is a case you may see referred to in the press. Mr Johnson is a professional footballer with Sunderland AFC and you may see something about it in the newspaper. But let me just remind you of the oath and affirmation you have just received. You must try this defendant on the evidence heard in this courtroom, not anything else. That is very important.”
Sunderland forward Adam Johnson appeared at Bradford Crown Court in the north of England where he denied two further child sex allegations, but admitted to one count of grooming a girl under the age of 16, the court confirmed to CNN.
Johnson, who last played for England in August 2012, was arrested in March 2015 and was initially suspended by Sunderland before returning to the team a fortnight later.
Sunderland declined to comment on the grounds the case was ongoing with a trial set to start on Friday. Johnson played and scored for the team during last weekend's 2-2 draw with Liverpool.Johnson entered two guilty pleas when the charges were read out to him by the court clerk.
Johnson is accused of grooming the teenager between 30 December 2014 and 26 February 2015 and having met with her to carry out sexual activity knowing that she was under 16, the age of consent. Standing in the dock, Johnson answered “guilty”.
In a second count, Johnson is charged with intentionally touching the complainant in a sexual way knowing that she was under 16. He briefly consulted his legal team before answering “guilty, yeah”.
A panel of prospective jurors were sworn in after Johnson entered his pleas. Before they were released, the judge, Jonathan Rose, said: “This is a case you may see referred to in the press. Mr Johnson is a professional footballer with Sunderland AFC and you may see something about it in the newspaper. But let me just remind you of the oath and affirmation you have just received. You must try this defendant on the evidence heard in this courtroom, not anything else. That is very important.”
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