What is worrying me at the moment is the role Sunderland FC played in this. We know Connor Wickham was receiving messages from the girl, which he very sensibly passed on to the authorities. Sunderland have announced that they wont sue Johnson for the remainder of his contract. Could it be they knew of his guilt, but continued to play him anyway in pursuit of premier league riches?
Isn't the rule half your age + 7? So Johnson's either not good at maths or a straight out nonce.
Don't think either is the word to use here.
He's pleaded guilty to grooming and one count of sexual activity with a minor. I think that's the very definition of nonce.
A nonce is a prisoner that has to be segregated from the general prison populace for his own protection. They are marked down as Not On Normal Corrective Exercise.
I would suggest Johnson would be segregated should he receive a custodial sentence.
Would this have got court if he wasn't a Prem footballer?
I assume this is a bit of whoosh bait, Riviera? Otherwise, no, the police and CPS would have turned her out on her ear and told her to come back when she had been abused by a Prem footballer then they might take her seriously
I thought it was a reasonable question, the police seem pretty selective about the crimes they investigate these days.
Well, I always understood they don't like wasting public money so they only tend to prosecute where there is a reasonable chance of conviction - rather than selecting on the basis of how high profile the accused. But what do I know?
That's not good enough. I could say "you might be a good guy, but if not..." Then say literally anything I liked about you, no matter how spurious. IMO that's not acceptable. The if is too big.
"He should hang his head in shame. Disgusting individual."- pretty extreme statement for an 'if not', don't you think?
Okay, I'll try to explain further. First, I'm not by any strech of the imagination an expert. But, while it's a complex area, I doubted that the matter had been given in evidence by her father (as indicated here) because I'd assumed it would be hearsay and inadmissable.
My view, was that it would have been up to the victim herself, when examined by the prosecuting counsel, to give evidence about her state of mind after the event, not someone else she had told. Only the victim or an expert witness would have valid input on this matter, I'd have thought. Then is this information more appropriate to be included in the victim impact statement during sentencing rather than during the trial? As it seems to me to have little to do with the actual proceedings and is not evidence concerning the matters being prosecuted. In the same way that the impact on the mental health of the victim of an aggravated burglary is something the judge would want to know about when considering the sentence to be handed down rather than when the jury is listening to the pertinent evidence.
So, that was my position at the time. Others have since said the information was given in evidence by her father, which I still don't understand. But, in any case I apologise for the suggestions I made.
Just to clarify did this girl text Wickham and post comments on his photos just two months after being 'devistated' by the behaviour of another professional footballer?
Without getting bogged down by the details of this, particular, case it seems a little strange that any girl that felt 'abused' would want to 'approach' another footballer when the last one she engaged with left her wanting to take her own life.
Something doesn't, quite, add up for me there. This is no way justifies Johnson's actions but it doesn't come across as though this girl was manipulated 100% into doing something she didn't want to do. No amount of 'grooming' would have made her go on to approach another footballer would it?
Or was she a teenager hurt by someone who treated her in the manor Johnson did ans as such acted like a scorned child and flirted with his mate to make jonhnson jealous,
It's all down to what that filth done to her mind as much as her physically
Or was she a teenager hurt by someone who treated her in the manor Johnson did ans as such acted like a scorned child and flirted with his mate to make jonhnson jealous,
It's all down to what that filth done to her mind as much as her physically
It's very admiral for you to be so protective of a young woman and her reputation but I think you are being a little too generous to her and her motives.
This kind of behaviour is not just limited to teenagers (half of which are sixteen and over in any case) but many men and women make a deliberate attempt at attention grabbing by 'flirting' with someone that their ex-partner knows. This was not, necessarily, the behaviour of a child that knows no better. Was this girl just going to text Wickham and say 'Hi'? Was she going to send him a photo of her in a bikini? Was she going to meet him in his car in a quiet place?
My niece is twenty but some of the stories that she told me of the things the girls in her class got up to when she was fifteen suggest that not all fifteen year old girls are innocent and naive. They even have drop in clinics in many schools to test for STDs. As I've already said a twenty-eight year old that, knowingly, enters into a sexual relationship with someone under sixteen deserves to be punished for breaking the law. It just doesn't seem as though she was 'damaged' by it all, nor does it seem as though she was 'bullied' into doing something that she didn't believe she was emotionally prepared for. In fact, from the little that I've read, she seems most angry that he is calling her a liar, presumably by denying their involvement, which suggests that she had told people about it.
Just to clarify did this girl text Wickham and post comments on his photos just two months after being 'devistated' by the behaviour of another professional footballer?
Without getting bogged down by the details of this, particular, case it seems a little strange that any girl that felt 'abused' would want to 'approach' another footballer when the last one she engaged with left her wanting to take her own life.
Something doesn't, quite, add up for me there. This is no way justifies Johnson's actions but it doesn't come across as though this girl was manipulated 100% into doing something she didn't want to do. No amount of 'grooming' would have made her go on to approach another footballer would it?
From the Telegraph: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/12160949/Adam-Johnson-child-sex-trial-Wednesday-live-updates.html It emerged in court on Tuesday that the schoolgirl alleged groomed by Johnson also approached a second Premier League footballer online. Johnson's defence barrister, Orlando Pownall QC, told the court that two months after the blonde teenager's alleged sexual encounter with his client, she sent messages to rising football star Connor Wickham on social media, telling him that she "liked" his pictures. Mr Pownall said that the images had been provided to the police by Wickham, 22, who is now a forward for Crystal Palace but was then a teammate of Johnson at Sunderland. Addressing the victim, Mr Pownall said: "You were liking another footballer's pictures weren't you?" You liked the picture of Connor Wickham and posted comments on his Facebook and Instagram accounts." Speaking to the court via video link, the schoolgirl said: "I really can't remember doing that...but it doesn't change what happened with Mr Johnson".
The defence lawyer deliberately brought it up to make her look like someone crazy about footballers. Like I said the other day, these details don't look good for her. Poor girl.
She's right when she says that it doesn't change what happened with Johnson but I agree with you Jessie, it doesn't make her look at all good and makes her father's comments look a little questionable. At a guess, I think she was probably more affected by being rejected by Johnson, especially if she'd told a few friends, than she was at the fact that he got involved with her in the first place.
Just to reiterate, again, none of this excuses Johnson's actions but I'm not convinced the man is guilty of ruining her life, intentionally or otherwise.
They might not be innocent and niave and nor am I any way fooling myself that they are or she is, but she is a child by law and as such a child by mind and actions
that's why we have the law that's why we have adults not allowed to have such liasons with children
Connor Wickham has Morale fibre and standing and not an ounce of paedophile thoughts, he done the right thing
Adam Johnson on the other hand is a filthy peado bastd and the girl could have stripped naked and begged him for it, it would make no difference he knew she was 15 and should not have been anywhere with that child to get himself in that situation, the fact he was shows he didn't care and wanted to do it
This morning in court he has alleged that he googled "age of consent" following a discussion on the subject with colleagues in the dressing room. Sounds totally plausible, that.
Well it's Johnson who is on trial, not the girl, so in that sense, NLA is completely on the money.
@kings hill addick is making a point regarding her testimony, and that the distress he caused is ought to be taken into account. Now I guess it's fair to question that, seeing as the prosecution raised it, but ultimately, none of us really know whether that distress was real or not (the Wickham evidence implies, but does not confirm). That kind of speculation, particularly regarding a victim, bothers me a bit.
This morning in court he has alleged that he googled "age of consent" following a discussion on the subject with colleagues in the dressing room. Sounds totally plausible, that.
Sorry but to me it sounds like a totally made up story.
By the way, Johnson used the word "platonic" to describe his initial meetings with the girl. I don't know if that was what his lawyer told him to say or not. I just find it absolutely ridiculous.
As a female you should see it totaly different to how you seem to as you have been a 15yr old girl, Me being male and over 28 see it from the the point of every other normal man who knows that the only reason he done it is because he is a nonce and he abused his postition of an adult and took advantage of a child
As you haven't been a 15 year old girl how would you know how I or one would think? If I had sent a footballer a picture of myself in a bikini when I was 15 it wouldn't have been because I wanted his autograph.
I have said before that I DO NOT believe what he did was right
I think Johnsons wife is appalling if she sticks with him....and it sounds like she probably will. "Love" can probably see through a lot...but even with that in mind.
She needs to wake up.
It seems that some women married to footballers literally couldn't give a shit if they've been cheated on and how many times. Money coats everything...even every emotion.
No pride, just slaves to money....even though they probably earn a fair bit themselves.
Not even to mention the age of the person Johnson cheated with. You would think in the real world his wife would have washed her hands with him soon as she heard of that fact....whatever the court of law decides.
I have sympathy for her (the wife) only in the sense that she embarrassingly will stick with her man, whatever he's done and is now in the public eye for it being exploited of her privacy to remain loyal.
Sorry Dave but it's not fair to drag his girlfriend into this whole mess. She's also a victim. What has she done to deserve such blame? She might be after the money but she's been with him for five or six years. It takes a lot of sacrifice and courage to stick with him in a situation like this. It would be easier for her to just dump him right away. Like most of the male posters on this thread have pointed out, she's a very beautiful lady and she probably wouldn't have any problems finding another multimillionaire in football. We don't know whether she'll leave him when he's finally thrown into prison but I think she did the right thing staying with him at this crucial point. If she left him now, that would make her a much bigger money slave in my eyes because that would mean she really cared about his money which obviously will stop flowing in like before. Besides everyone deserves a second chance. It's not that Adam Johnson murdered someone in a cruel way and had no remorse afterwards whatsoever. They have a little daughter together. Do you think it would be good for the poor baby to grow up without her father?
Yes I see what your saying, your right that it's a lot more emotionally deeper and tougher for her to just simply dump him....and I don't know the couple personally and what they are really going through, it's all just basic perception etc.
I was gana come back with a "but"
I now just feel kind of strangely guilty for slagging her off now....
I just would have perhaps thought she would identify the young girl as a victim and then feel rather off with the man she is sleeping with....you know cos of what he did.
Sorry Dave but it's not fair to drag his girlfriend into this whole mess. She's also a victim. What has she done to deserve such blame? She might be after the money but she's been with him for five or six years. It takes a lot of sacrifice and courage to stick with him in a situation like this. It would be easier for her to just dump him right away. Like most of the male posters on this thread have pointed out, she's a very beautiful lady and she probably wouldn't have any problems finding another multimillionaire in football. We don't know whether she'll leave him when he's finally thrown into prison but I think she did the right thing staying with him at this crucial point. If she left him now, that would make her a much bigger money slave in my eyes because that would mean she really cared about his money which obviously will stop flowing in like before. Besides everyone deserves a second chance. It's not that Adam Johnson murdered someone in a cruel way and had no remorse afterwards whatsoever. They have a little daughter together. Do you think it would be good for the poor baby to grow up without her father?
Bloody hell Jessie, you seem to have more sympathy for his adult girlfriend than the child he abused !
Sorry Dave but it's not fair to drag his girlfriend into this whole mess. She's also a victim. What has she done to deserve such blame? She might be after the money but she's been with him for five or six years. It takes a lot of sacrifice and courage to stick with him in a situation like this. It would be easier for her to just dump him right away. Like most of the male posters on this thread have pointed out, she's a very beautiful lady and she probably wouldn't have any problems finding another multimillionaire in football. We don't know whether she'll leave him when he's finally thrown into prison but I think she did the right thing staying with him at this crucial point. If she left him now, that would make her a much bigger money slave in my eyes because that would mean she really cared about his money which obviously will stop flowing in like before. Besides everyone deserves a second chance. It's not that Adam Johnson murdered someone in a cruel way and had no remorse afterwards whatsoever. They have a little daughter together. Do you think it would be good for the poor baby to grow up without her father?
Bloody hell Jessie, you seem to have more sympathy for his adult girlfriend than the child he abused !
I actually see her sympathising with Johnson's child.
Though staying with a partner you don't truly love is foolish. Your child will see the love isn't there.
As a female you should see it totaly different to how you seem to as you have been a 15yr old girl, Me being male and over 28 see it from the the point of every other normal man who knows that the only reason he done it is because he is a nonce and he abused his postition of an adult and took advantage of a child
As you haven't been a 15 year old girl how would you know how I or one would think? If I had sent a footballer a picture of myself in a bikini when I was 15 it wouldn't have been because I wanted his autograph.
I have said before that I DO NOT believe what he did was right
We'll have to agree to disagree
Very interesting point made here, something I had not considered.
But having given it further thought and taking all into consideration I hope the Johnson does some serious time.
Most cases of paedophilia occur within families, I think. But I don't think Johnson is strictly a paedophile, as above. Just a horrible exploitative predator.
Comments
We know Connor Wickham was receiving messages from the girl, which he very sensibly passed on to the authorities.
Sunderland have announced that they wont sue Johnson for the remainder of his contract.
Could it be they knew of his guilt, but continued to play him anyway in pursuit of premier league riches?
I would suggest Johnson would be segregated should he receive a custodial sentence.
But what do I know?
My view, was that it would have been up to the victim herself, when examined by the prosecuting counsel, to give evidence about her state of mind after the event, not someone else she had told. Only the victim or an expert witness would have valid input on this matter, I'd have thought.
Then is this information more appropriate to be included in the victim impact statement during sentencing rather than during the trial? As it seems to me to have little to do with the actual proceedings and is not evidence concerning the matters being prosecuted. In the same way that the impact on the mental health of the victim of an aggravated burglary is something the judge would want to know about when considering the sentence to be handed down rather than when the jury is listening to the pertinent evidence.
So, that was my position at the time. Others have since said the information was given in evidence by her father, which I still don't understand. But, in any case I apologise for the suggestions I made.
Without getting bogged down by the details of this, particular, case it seems a little strange that any girl that felt 'abused' would want to 'approach' another footballer when the last one she engaged with left her wanting to take her own life.
Something doesn't, quite, add up for me there. This is no way justifies Johnson's actions but it doesn't come across as though this girl was manipulated 100% into doing something she didn't want to do. No amount of 'grooming' would have made her go on to approach another footballer would it?
It's all down to what that filth done to her mind as much as her physically
This kind of behaviour is not just limited to teenagers (half of which are sixteen and over in any case) but many men and women make a deliberate attempt at attention grabbing by 'flirting' with someone that their ex-partner knows. This was not, necessarily, the behaviour of a child that knows no better. Was this girl just going to text Wickham and say 'Hi'? Was she going to send him a photo of her in a bikini? Was she going to meet him in his car in a quiet place?
My niece is twenty but some of the stories that she told me of the things the girls in her class got up to when she was fifteen suggest that not all fifteen year old girls are innocent and naive. They even have drop in clinics in many schools to test for STDs. As I've already said a twenty-eight year old that, knowingly, enters into a sexual relationship with someone under sixteen deserves to be punished for breaking the law. It just doesn't seem as though she was 'damaged' by it all, nor does it seem as though she was 'bullied' into doing something that she didn't believe she was emotionally prepared for. In fact, from the little that I've read, she seems most angry that he is calling her a liar, presumably by denying their involvement, which suggests that she had told people about it.
She's right when she says that it doesn't change what happened with Johnson but I agree with you Jessie, it doesn't make her look at all good and makes her father's comments look a little questionable. At a guess, I think she was probably more affected by being rejected by Johnson, especially if she'd told a few friends, than she was at the fact that he got involved with her in the first place.
Just to reiterate, again, none of this excuses Johnson's actions but I'm not convinced the man is guilty of ruining her life, intentionally or otherwise.
that's why we have the law that's why we have adults not allowed to have such liasons with children
Connor Wickham has Morale fibre and standing and not an ounce of paedophile thoughts, he done the right thing
Adam Johnson on the other hand is a filthy peado bastd and the girl could have stripped naked and begged him for it, it would make no difference he knew she was 15 and should not have been anywhere with that child to get himself in that situation, the fact he was shows he didn't care and wanted to do it
@kings hill addick is making a point regarding her testimony, and that the distress he caused is ought to be taken into account. Now I guess it's fair to question that, seeing as the prosecution raised it, but ultimately, none of us really know whether that distress was real or not (the Wickham evidence implies, but does not confirm). That kind of speculation, particularly regarding a victim, bothers me a bit.
I have said before that I DO NOT believe what he did was right
We'll have to agree to disagree
She needs to wake up.
It seems that some women married to footballers literally couldn't give a shit if they've been cheated on and how many times. Money coats everything...even every emotion.
No pride, just slaves to money....even though they probably earn a fair bit themselves.
Not even to mention the age of the person Johnson cheated with. You would think in the real world his wife would have washed her hands with him soon as she heard of that fact....whatever the court of law decides.
I have sympathy for her (the wife) only in the sense that she embarrassingly will stick with her man, whatever he's done and is now in the public eye for it being exploited of her privacy to remain loyal.
She might be as gorgeous as hell but what a tart
I was gana come back with a "but"
I now just feel kind of strangely guilty for slagging her off now....
I just would have perhaps thought she would identify the young girl as a victim
and then feel rather off with the man she is sleeping with....you know cos of what he did.
Though staying with a partner you don't truly love is foolish. Your child will see the love isn't there.
But having given it further thought and taking all into consideration I hope the Johnson does some serious time.
His victim was post- pubescent, making him an ephebophile.