Following on from this morning’s revelations that Adam Johnson is denying that the 15 year old he is accused of grooming had given him a blow job, the former Premiership footballer has this afternoon admitted that he was attracted to the girl and that he was hoping that sexual activity would happen between the two of them on their second encounter.
Guardian journalist Josh Halliday again live tweeted this afternoon’s proceedings:
Featured Image VIA
Johnson says he didn't suggest secluded car park as place to meet schoolgirl to give her a signed shirt – she did by text.
— Josh Halliday (@JoshHalliday) February 22, 2016
Johnson says he sent "flirty" texts to schoolgirl because he was "bored" in a London hotel room on night before Sunderland played Spurs.
— Josh Halliday (@JoshHalliday) February 22, 2016
"I was in a hotel room. I was bored. I'm ashamed that I did that. I know I shouldn't have been doing that," says Johnson of flirty texts
— Josh Halliday (@JoshHalliday) February 22, 2016
In one text, AJ told girl it would "defo have to be dark" when they met. "It's flirting and inappropriate," he says in witness box
— Josh Halliday (@JoshHalliday) February 22, 2016
AJ: "When you're in a hotel room it's easy to text. You're bored and you get caught up in texting just to keep yourself busy."
— Josh Halliday (@JoshHalliday) February 22, 2016
Johnson's first meeting with the girl lasted 10 minutes and no sexual activity took place, court told.
— Josh Halliday (@JoshHalliday) February 22, 2016
When he returned home from first meeting, he text her to say "you owe me" and ask if she got home okay. "Just flirting," he tells jury
— Josh Halliday (@JoshHalliday) February 22, 2016
After more flirty texts are read to court, Johnson tells jury: "Yeah, I was attracted to her."
— Josh Halliday (@JoshHalliday) February 22, 2016
"I think the feeling started more from around these messages," Johnson says when asked how he felt about the schoolgirl after first meeting
— Josh Halliday (@JoshHalliday) February 22, 2016
"It was easy to write stuff in words and do it on the phone, flirting. It's another think actually going to do it," Johnson says
— Josh Halliday (@JoshHalliday) February 22, 2016
Johnson tells jury he wish he'd stopped contact after their first non-sexual meeting.
— Josh Halliday (@JoshHalliday) February 22, 2016
Johnson tells court he wanted to have sexual activity with the girl on their second meeting
— Josh Halliday (@JoshHalliday) February 22, 2016
AJ: "I didn't know it was going to be more than a kiss but it crossed my mind. Just stupidity from me that I really regret right now."
— Josh Halliday (@JoshHalliday) February 22, 2016
Asked whether he thought sexual activity might take place, AJ says: "Yeah there was a possibility"
Did you want to do that? AJ: "Yeah"
— Josh Halliday (@JoshHalliday) February 22, 2016
AJ: "I had all sorts of things going on in my head at the time. I was thinking 'What am I doing? I have so much to lose'."
— Josh Halliday (@JoshHalliday) February 22, 2016
Asked why he continued kissing the girl given his worries, AJ says: "Because I wanted to and I wasn't thinking clearly how I should've been"
— Josh Halliday (@JoshHalliday) February 22, 2016
Johnson says he was "never going to" meet the girl again after their second encounter
— Josh Halliday (@JoshHalliday) February 22, 2016
Asked about his 'just wanted to get ya jeans off lol' text, AJ says: "It's just flirting. Stupid flirting that I shouldn't have been doing."
— Josh Halliday (@JoshHalliday) February 22, 2016
AJ text her to say she 'felt really turned on', court told. AJ explains: "It's no reference to me feeling her or anything like that."
— Josh Halliday (@JoshHalliday) February 22, 2016
Johnson growing tearful in the witness box, sniffing as his voice breaks, during questioning by his barrister about flirty texts.
— Josh Halliday (@JoshHalliday) February 22, 2016
Johnson, hunched in witness box, says he loves his girlfriend Stacey "just as much as I always have"
— Josh Halliday (@JoshHalliday) February 22, 2016
Why kiss a schoolgirl, counsel asks? AJ: "Because I wasn't a good person. I should never have did it."
— Josh Halliday (@JoshHalliday) February 22, 2016
AJ: "I can't think of the words to describe how bad I actually feel about it."
— Josh Halliday (@JoshHalliday) February 22, 2016
Hmm, well there you have it. It looks as though Adam Johnson is going for the classic, ‘yeah I did it but I feel absolutely terrible about it’ defence’. I guess he’s hoping that some of the jury feel sorry for him because he’s a multi millionaire footballer who was bored whilst in a hotel room, so thought he would flirt with a fifteen year old despite just having a kid with his long term girlfriend. And then go and meet said 15 year old and get off with her before he finally realised he had done something wrong. Yeah, not sure how that’s going to pan out for him.
Having said that though, the crucial part of the case is still whether or not this girl gave him a blow job or not and it looks like it’s going to be a straight up ‘who’s lying?’ decision as everything else in both of their stories seem to corroborate each other. Seems like the question of whether a 15 year old girl is lying about giving a Premier League footballer a blow job or not is fairly obvious though as one of those two people have a lot more to lose if it turns out to be true.
We’ll see what other revelations emerge from the trial when it resumes tomorrow. It’s not as cut and dry as the recent outrageous case of a guy being put on trial for a sex attack after he accidentally walked into a women at Waterloo station.
