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Johnson admits ‘stupidity’ of kissing girl in court case

He admitted that he knew it was against the law to kiss a 15-year-old, however he denied that he had begun communicating with the girl with the intention of developing a sexual relationship or that anything more than kissing took place.

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Johnson, who has been sacked by Sunderland AFC, denies two counts of sexual activity with a child.

In a police statement read at his trial, footballer Adam Johnson said he was “aware” that a fan he has admitted grooming was 15.

The officer also informed the court his club were not informed of what was said in the police interviews and Mr Johnson has no previous convictions.

He said Johnson admitted to kissing the girl “fully on the lips” during a meeting in his auto on January 30 previous year.

“We were talking in the dressing room about a programme that was on a couple of days ago about different ages and things like that”.

He insists he initially only gave the girl his phone number so he could arrange to give her a signed shirt.

Johnson told the court he knew the age of consent when he asked the girl in December 2014 about when she turned 16.

Questioned by Pownall about why he asked her age, Johnson told jurors: “At that time it was just conversation”.

He said: “I’d been speaking to people that I shouldn’t have been and I hadn’t been a very good person to her and my daughter”.

The footballer told the court he was attracted to the girl.

The former England man said he could not recall becoming aroused while kissing her but conceded it was a “possibility”.

He told the court: “That was stupidity from me and I really regret that”.

He said his initial meetings with the girl were “platonic in nature” and she would regularly approach him and request signed shirts.

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His barrister asked Johnson to describe life as a professional footballer, to which the player replied: “It’s every young boy’s dream”.

Footballer Adam Johnson arrives at Bradford Crown Court