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Adam Johnson says he knew girl he groomed was 15 years old | Adam Johnson says he knew girl he groomed was 15 years old |
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Footballer Adam Johnson has admitted he knew the fan he is accused of having sexual activity with was 15 at the time, his trial has heard. | Footballer Adam Johnson has admitted he knew the fan he is accused of having sexual activity with was 15 at the time, his trial has heard. |
Mr Johnson has previously pleaded guilty to one count of sexual activity with a child and one count of grooming. His current trial, which relates to the same victim, sees him accused of two counts of sexual activity with a child. He denies the charges. | Mr Johnson has previously pleaded guilty to one count of sexual activity with a child and one count of grooming. His current trial, which relates to the same victim, sees him accused of two counts of sexual activity with a child. He denies the charges. |
In a pre-prepared statement read out at Bradford Crown Court, Mr Johnson said: “I accept the stupidity of my actions. I have no excuse. I was aware by then of her age," Sky News reports. | In a pre-prepared statement read out at Bradford Crown Court, Mr Johnson said: “I accept the stupidity of my actions. I have no excuse. I was aware by then of her age," Sky News reports. |
He reportedly added: "I wholeheartedly and unreservedly apologise to the girl for the stupidity of my actions. | He reportedly added: "I wholeheartedly and unreservedly apologise to the girl for the stupidity of my actions. |
In the statement Mr Johnson admitted he had kissed the child "fully on the lips" on the pair's second meeting on 30 January. | In the statement Mr Johnson admitted he had kissed the child "fully on the lips" on the pair's second meeting on 30 January. |
"I accept that she was a child and should have been safe in my company," he added. | "I accept that she was a child and should have been safe in my company," he added. |
On Friday the court heard that Mr Johnson had made a Google search for "legal age of consent" on his phone four days after he met the child on 30 January. | |
Last week the court saw a 10 second video secretly taken by the 15-year-old girl before an alleged sexual encounter, which she said she recorded "to show that I had actually met up with him". | |
She had uploaded the video to Snapchat, the social media platform where uploaded content is automatically deleted after 24 hours. A friend of the alleged victim recorded the footage on her phone befroe it disappeared. | |
Taken inside Mr Johnson's car, the video allegedly shows former Sunderland winger and the dashboard of his vehicle. | |
The schoolgirl told the jury last week that she had stopped trying to protect the England footballer because he "made me out to be a liar". | |
Asked by the prosecution if she was still trying to protect Johnson, she said: "No, because he did nothing to protect me and he made me out to be a liar". | |
The trial continues. |