Adam Johnson Admits He Wanted To Sexually Touch 15-Year-Old Girl

Former Sunderland player Adam Johnson has admitted he was attracted to his 15-year-old accuser and wanted to touch her sexual. The footballer, who gave evidence in his child sex trial yesterday, accepts he groomed and kissed the girl, but denies more serious offences.

He was questioned about messages he sent arranging a second meeting with the girl for a thank you kiss for a signed football shirt he'd given her he replied: It's flirting and inappropriate. He told the court he sent the girl messages while he was bored in a London hotel room ahead of Sunderland's away match at Tottenham in London. He said: “I'm ashamed I did that. I knew I should not be doing that. It was because I was in my hotel room - I was bored”

Speaking about his second meeting with the girl, Johnson said he knew there was a possibility of touching the girl sexually and it was something he wanted. He told the court: That was stupidity from me and I really regret that. Johnson said they chatted about football before the girl said she had come for her 'thank you kiss'. He said he wanted to kiss the girl and enjoyed it. He said of the girl: I was attracted to her. I had all sorts of things going on in my head at the time. I was thinking: What am I doing? I've got so much to lose”. 

The jury were told that the footballer was initially befriended by the girl on Facebook before getting her phone number and using messaging service WhatsApp to chat with her. In one WhatsApp message, Johnson said: “Need to keep it between us and delete our messages after we have spoken. Don't want anyone reading them just to be safe”. When asked why he requested a naked picture of the girl after she sent him a photograph of herself in a bikini, he said: “That was just my natural reaction to the message”