SUNDERLAND HAVE REFUTED claims that they knew of Adam Johnson’s plan to offer a guilty plea before his trial but questions remain about how much the club’s top brass did know.
The club, who terminated Johnson’s contract twenty-four hours after the midfielder pleaded guilty to one count of sexual activity and one of grooming a 15-year-old girl, issued a detailed statement in light of the jury’s guilty verdict at Bradford Crown Court today.
It focused primarily on Johnson’s decision to dramatically change his plea at the last minute.
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Johnson throws his shirt into the crowd at the end of Sunderland's 2-2 draw with Liverpool at Anfield last month. Johnson scored in the game - his last as a Sunderland player. Richard Sellers / PA Wire/Press Association Images
Richard Sellers / PA Wire/Press Association Images / PA Wire/Press Association Images
“The club did not give evidence either for the prosecution or the defence in this case”, the statement read.
It was therefore not present in court when it is understood that a suggestion was made that the club knew all along that Mr. Johnson was intending to change his plea just before trial to enable him to continue to play football for the club and that the club may also have been involved in tactical discussions about the plea. This is utterly without foundation and is refuted in the strongest possible terms.
The club never placed any pressure or demands on Mr. Johnson to play football during this process. Decisions in relation to the pleas and the conduct of the trial have been left entirely to Mr. Johnson and his highly experienced and skilled legal team. Mr. Johnson has admitted in evidence that he changed his plea “on legal advice”.
The statement went on to say that had the club known Johnson was intending to plead guilty, they would have terminated his contract immediately. Johnson had publicly pleaded his innocence for more than a year.
After serving an initial two-week suspension following his arrest, Johnson was allowed to return to the Sunderland team and played another 28 times for the club before his contract was ended last month.
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But, nowhere in the statement do Sunderland deny the claims made that club CEO Margaret Byrne was aware Johnson had kissed and groomed an underage girl.
During the trial, Johnson’s counsel, Orlando Pownall, was quizzed about a meeting he had with Johnson, his father and Sunderland chief executive Margaret Byrne in May last year.
He told the court that Byrne had transcripts of Johnson’s police interviews, in which he admitted to having kissed the girl and knowing she was underage.
The club said it intends to make no further comment.
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Sunderland release hard-hitting statement regarding Adam Johnson but big questions remain
SUNDERLAND HAVE REFUTED claims that they knew of Adam Johnson’s plan to offer a guilty plea before his trial but questions remain about how much the club’s top brass did know.
The club, who terminated Johnson’s contract twenty-four hours after the midfielder pleaded guilty to one count of sexual activity and one of grooming a 15-year-old girl, issued a detailed statement in light of the jury’s guilty verdict at Bradford Crown Court today.
It focused primarily on Johnson’s decision to dramatically change his plea at the last minute.
“The club did not give evidence either for the prosecution or the defence in this case”, the statement read.
The club never placed any pressure or demands on Mr. Johnson to play football during this process. Decisions in relation to the pleas and the conduct of the trial have been left entirely to Mr. Johnson and his highly experienced and skilled legal team. Mr. Johnson has admitted in evidence that he changed his plea “on legal advice”.
The statement went on to say that had the club known Johnson was intending to plead guilty, they would have terminated his contract immediately. Johnson had publicly pleaded his innocence for more than a year.
After serving an initial two-week suspension following his arrest, Johnson was allowed to return to the Sunderland team and played another 28 times for the club before his contract was ended last month.
But, nowhere in the statement do Sunderland deny the claims made that club CEO Margaret Byrne was aware Johnson had kissed and groomed an underage girl.
During the trial, Johnson’s counsel, Orlando Pownall, was quizzed about a meeting he had with Johnson, his father and Sunderland chief executive Margaret Byrne in May last year.
He told the court that Byrne had transcripts of Johnson’s police interviews, in which he admitted to having kissed the girl and knowing she was underage.
The club said it intends to make no further comment.
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Adam Johnson Court Details Margaret Byrne Sunderland Trial