Schoolgirl groomed by Adam Johnson wanted to kill herself, court hears

Father of alleged victim tells court he was ‘in total shock and disbelief’ when he found out his daughter had secretly met the England player

The schoolgirl groomed by Adam Johnson was “crying her eyes out and saying she wanted to kill herself” before she confided in her father about the alleged sexual activity with the footballer, a court has heard.

In a statement read to jurors on Thursday, the father of the alleged victim said he was “in total shock and disbelief” when he found out his daughter had secretly met the 28-year-old England player.

The jury at Bradford crown court has been told that Johnson arranged to meet the 15-year-old for a “thank you kiss” in his black Range Rover after giving her a signed Sunderland shirt last January.

The girl, now 16, told jurors earlier this week she broke down and confided in her father after rumours about the alleged sexual encounter circulated among 50 of her schoolfriends.

Her father said in a statement he spent half an hour reassuring her that she could tell him anything before the girl eventually divulged details of the meeting to him in February last year.

“She had been upstairs in her room and had come downstairs crying her eyes out and saying that she wanted to kill herself. I asked her what was wrong but she wouldn’t tell me what the problem was. She was cuddling me and crying,” he said.

“After about half an hour reassuring her and telling her she could talk to me about anything she made me promise I wouldn’t tell anyone. She then said ‘you probably won’t believe me’. I told her that no matter what she told me I would always believe her and that she could trust me.”

The girl, a huge Sunderland fan, then told her father she had met Johnson to get a signed shirt from him.

He said she told him that “things have happened”. “I asked her if they had had sex and she said no,” he said. I asked her what had gone on between them but she wouldn’t tell me. Throughout our conversation [the girl] was upset and crying and cuddling me.”

He added: “At the time of her initially telling me about the meeting up with Adam Johnson I was in a state of total shock and disbelief. I can’t remember everything that was said exactly.”

The following day the girl was taken to a police station by her mother and a family friend, the court heard.

Johnson is accused of two counts of sexual activity with a child after an encounter with the girl in his black Range Rover on 30 January, four weeks after they linked up on Facebook.

He has admitted grooming and sexual activity with the then 15-year-old, but denies two further counts.

Earlier, a teenager told jurors she initially did not believe her friend’s claims that she had had a sexual encounter with the former Sunderland star. But the girl told the court the alleged victim showed her “about 20 messages” sent by Johnson.

The girl, who cannot be identified because of her age, said: “At first I thought: it’s definitely not Adam Johnson.”

Kate Blackwell QC, prosecuting, asked the witness, giving evidence via a video link: “Why did you not think it was Adam Johnson?”

The girl replied: “Cos he’s, however old he is. And why would he? He’s a bit of a paedophile if he’s going for a 15 ... kids and that.”

The court also heard that another friend told police that Johnson and the girl were swapping messages as the footballer’s girlfriend, Stacey Flounders, gave birth to their daughter, Ayla Sofia.

“They were talking at the time that Stacey had the baby because he was texting saying she had had the baby and what they were going to call it,” the friend said.

She said the girl told her of her second meeting and sexual activity with Johnson in his car.

The witness said her friend also told her a third encounter was arranged after Johnson texted her while she was at school, asking: “Are you doing anything tonight?”

“She told us that she was going to have sex and sleep with him in his car,” the witness told the jury.

However, she said the planned meeting was cancelled because the footballer did not have an excuse for Flounders about why he was leaving the house.

The alleged victim was “mad” at Johnson for cancelling the meeting, the witness said, but was also panicking as rumours spread about her alleged sexual encounter.

“She was pretty distraught about it. Everyone was finding out so she was panicking and worrying. She wasn’t feeling her best,” the witness said.

The trial continues.

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