Adam Johnson continued to play for Sunderland nine months after club officials learned he had engaged in an illegal act with a 15-year-old girl, Bradford Crown Court was told.
Johnson claims he informed Sunderland chief executive, Margaret Byrne, on May 4, 2015 that he had kissed the 15-year-old girl and exchanged messages with her.
The club originally suspended Johnson after his arrest on March 2 but was reinstated him a little over a fortnight later.
Johnson accepted in 4 May 2015 meeting with SAFC chief Margaret Byrne that he kissed and sent messages to underage schoolgirl, court hears
— Josh Halliday (@JoshHalliday) February 24, 2016
The 28-year-old was allowed to continue playing for the Black Cats – as well as collect his £60,000-a-week wages – until they terminated his contract on February 11 of his year, a day after Johnson pleaded guilty to one count of sexual activity with a child and one count of grooming.
The former England international continues to deny two more counts of sexual activity with the same girl.
The court apparently heard that former Sunderland striker Steven Fletcher was due to give evidence on the length of Adam Johnson’s pubic hair, but has decided he is no longer willing to give evidence following his former team-mate’s guilty plea.
The length of Johnson’s pubic hair has become a contested issue within the case, as his alleged victim claimed the footballer was “completely shaven” but Johnson maintains that the girl could not have known and was “just guessing”.
Johnson was also asked why he had searched “legal age of consent” three days after his alleged sexual activity with the 15-year-old, with the former England international saying he had done so as part of a discussion about a Ross Kemp documentary on underage marriage with team-mates.
According to The Guardian, the 28-year-old told the court he “knew the legal age of consent so I wouldn’t need to research it”. When pressed on why he would not indicate which individuals were part of the discussion in question, Johnson apparently said: “Because it was a group discussion. It wasn’t one person.”
The trial continues.
