The former Sunderland and England footballer, Adam Johnson, has been sentenced to six years in Prison for engaging in sexual activity and the grooming of a 15-year-old schoolgirl.
Johnson, aged 28, was convicted on Thursday afternoon at Bradford Crown Court, having carried out the sex act in January last year.
He groomed the girl via social media, before arranging a private meet, where the encounter took place.
Until the first day of his trial in February, the midfielder, who had his 12 England caps stripped earlier today, previously denied all four allegations, following his arrest in the March of 2015.
He was initially suspended by Sunderland, before being allowed to play for the Black Cats until the Premier League club sacked him at the start of his child sex trial.
Prosecutor, Kate Blackwell, had told the court he should have been jailed for a prolonged amount of time, for “calculated, considered and carefully-orchestrated” crime.
Judge Jonathan Rose said the schoolgirl had suffered severe psychological harm” – throughout the trial.
When handing down the six-year sentence, Judge Rose told Johnson there had been an “an abuse of trust – you are trusted by young fans to behave properly”.
He said: “She had only just turned 15 when you began grooming her, because, as you were to admit, you found her sexually attractive.”
Mr Johnson is likely to spend his first night at HMP Armley in Leeds. He could later be moved to Durham prison, HMP Frankland, which houses notorious in-mates.
