Last April, Adam Johnson had admitted in police interviews that he had kissed and touched a 15-year-old schoolgirl during a meeting in his Range Rover on January 30, 2015.

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But he didn’t enter his guilty pleas to grooming and sexual activity with the girl until he came to trial on Februay 10^th earlier this month.

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This – as prosecutor Kate Blackwell explained in court today — is because Johnson wanted to keep picking up his salary of £60,000 a week from Sunderland, which he did for ten more months, earning the equivalent of £2.4 million. Fuck!

Johnson is denying this is true.

During cross examination, Blackwell asked him:

At your first court appearance last May 18, why did you not enter guilty pleas to any offences?

Johnson replied:

I was given legal advice at the time and I went along with that.

She went on:

But you played for the football club for the rest of the season and had no trouble controlling your conscience?

He replied:

I have had this hanging over me. It was very difficult to concentrate at times.

Blackwell continued:

In June on a trip to Dubai, for (then Sunderland team mate) Steven Fletcher’s stag do, you were pictured having a beer and putting your thumbs up — did you feel you had seriously wronged the girl while you were enjoying yourself on that trip?

Johnson replied:

Yes.

Blackwell added:

Your final game was playing away against Liverpool on February 6, the last game before this trial and you scored.

When you were concentrating on placing that free kick, did you have any difficulty controlling your conscience?

Johnson replied:

No, not at the time, you only think about doing your job.

Blackwell:

When you threw your shirt into the crowd at the end, you knew the game was up didn’t you? You knew it was the last game you would play?

Johnson:

I knew that was a possibility, yes.

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Blackwell told him there were “60,000 very good reasons each week” for him to continue playing and to withhold his admission of guilt, adding:

£60,000 a week, that is what was praying on your mind.

Each week playing has perpetuated the agony for your victim who had endured a year of being called a liar and a slag while you encouraged the fans to cheer you on?

Johnson replied:

No. I was doing my job. I cannot control what people say, not on my behalf.

Johnson insists he “panicked” and was “in turmoil” during his police interview following his arrest last year.

Credit to him though, he did have an A+ excuse handy when asked why he had dick pics on his phone.