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6 years. 

Fair or not? 

Seems a little harsh at first glance although I'm not condoning what he did in any way.

Being stripped of his dozen England caps appears downright petty imo.

About right imo

His smirking and general disinterest during the trial shows what an immature boy he is

Shockingly unfair

What he did was incredibly stupid and wrong but he is not a paedophile.

Compare that sentence to all of the women who have recently been found guilty of messing around with school boys who didn't even go to prison?!

Seems too long to me.  Someone posted on the Watford forum a crime where the guy got 4 years for having full sex with a 12 year old.  That seems far too short but how on earth does it tally with the Johnson sentence?  Seems the judges just make it up as they go along.

The sentence of any women who did that and escaped prison is likely too lenient though.  

It does seem high, Johnson comes across as an immature idiot.  The fact he was looking up the age of consent afterwards, shows him to be pretty thick.   Having said treat, 16 is fairly arbitrary, it is 15 in France, 14 in Germany.  I suspect many of those who think he is a nonce would happily ogle a 16 year old on page 3, which seems to be a contradiction to me.  There was a thread on 2 plus 2 a couple of years ago concerning a young female poker player who was maybe 16 or 17.  It made for very interesting reading with a bunch of Europeans happily making lecherous comments and a bunch of US posters going WTF? as they were conditioned to an age of consent of 18.

As it is he has abused a position of trust, so he should be treated in a similar way to a teacher.  But 6 years for a minor bit of sexual activity seems a bit harsh to me.  A couple of years would probably feel lenient, so it doesn't feel massively wrong.

As a punishment compared to others it seems incredibly unfair. You read of people stabbing others and getting less, or drunk drivers killing innocent bystanders etc.

I think i saw a piece that suggested the girl was linked with another footballer prior to Johnson.

He is a total idiot for sure, but a pedo is something different in my eyes.

The fact that he appears to have taken proceedings so lightly, makes me think he does deserve a more severe punishment, but the crime of an early twenties guy and a 15 year old girl seems crazy.

For context, but also no comparison, my wife is 12 years younger than me. If we had met at one hour past her permissable birthday all those years ago, does that suddenly make it ok?

Ofcourse hes a paedophile, why does he seek out a 15yo when he can sleep with any bird he wants. Part of the attraction is clearly her age/ it being wrong. If we were talking about the same guy as a non-footballer with more limitted options, who just took what was on offer Id be far more inclined to say he isnt a paedophile, but the facts seem to suggest the appeal was she was a besotted kid. Hes lucky the family are moneygrabbing tramps as I would have chopped the smackrats head off.

Pedophilia or paedophilia is a psychiatric disorder in which an adult or older adolescent experiences a primary or exclusive sexual attraction to prepubescent children, generally age 11 years or younger.[1][2] As a medical diagnosis, specific criteria for the disorder extend the cut-off point for prepubescence to age 13.

He is clearly not a Pedo.  One of the most mis understood terms in the world imo.

He has not been stripped of his England caps fwiw

he's not a paedophile, obviously

what the jury was not told emerged this afternoon

- he was arrested last year for having extreme pornography (bestiality) on his laptop
- he had been browsing teen sex sites. not unlawful sides, but had been browsing them
- at the time of his arrest he was on medication for STIs

These are the facts as stated in the case.  

The point wasnt that he was attracted to a 15 year old, it was said by the judge that he treated her just like any other girl (he made a habit of frequent sexual encounters with various girls), and not like she was 15.  The psychiatrist said he found no evidence in Johnson of an attraction to pre-pubescent children or "sexual perversion".  Though he was brought in by the defense, his evidence seems consistent with the other evidence ie he took lots of opportunities for sexual encounters and wasn't seeking out under age ones specifically.

And what evidence have you got that they were moneygrabbbing tramps?  That feels like blaming the victim, in court it was stated that the family had not sought any financial gain.

And Adz, the fella is 28 and not early 20s.

Guy is a complete idiot and thick as pig shit, but 6 years doesn't sit quite right. As already mentioned, you see much more severe crimes slapped with lesser sentences.

''As it is he has abused a position of trust, so he should be treated in a similar way to a teacher''.....don't agree with that Dooobs. Why was he in a position of trust?

Rix got 1 year for sex with a 15 year old, Johnson 6 years for sexaul activity with 15 year old. Something doesn't add up

It was what the judge said in the sentencing

Adam Johnson's crimes were the most serious of their type, the judge says.

Judge Jonathan Rose says his offences were category 1A, the most serious.

He says "there is an abuse of trust, you are trusted by young fans to behave properly". 

Can't disagree that it's a little strange, he's 100% being made an example of, but still 6 years is too harsh.

I know it's a completely different kettle of fish and the two aren't directly comparable, but it's a strange world we live in when Oscar Pistorious got 5 years for killing his wife, and Johnson gets 6 for sexual activity with a 15 year old.

He didn't help himself with not switching to the guilty plea until the latest chance either

Ridiculous comment's about money grabbing as doobs said no compensation been sought or given

It's somewhat of an own goal as well in that the general sentiment on the internet today is sympathy at the sentence, rather than reflecting on his crimes.

And I also don't see how he can plead not guilty given the record on facebook etc.   What was he hoping to achieve?

The World has changed, sentencing guidelines change.  John Peel married a 15 year old in different times.  The Peadophile information exchange wouldn't last 5 minutes these days.  Things change, probably for the better.  

Well I think the judge is talking bollocks in that case then. You cannot seriously lump footballers in with teachers etc, otherwise where do you draw the line? Surely nearly every occupation has the potential to be an ''abuse of trust''?

Just think he assumed he would get away with it. He has had his whole adult life being pandered to nothing ever going wrong so guess was in denial.

The comment to one of the security guards early on summed him up "this is quite boring ain't it?".

Sick brags.

well yes, every adult has to respect the boundaries of laws and deceny surely? thats what being an adult is about if you are considering activity with a 15 year old, which he did. he then abused his position as an adult.

footballer = public occupation, high profile, clubs wheel them out into community, schools etc. while its not quite teacher/pupil, doctor/patient there is an abuse of trust

This.  There is an 'implied abuse of trust' being a footballer.  A binman probably comes into contact with more children a day than a footballer would.  A teacher has a 100% abuse of trust in this situation.  

What would the sentence if Johnson had been 19 years old/21 years old/24 years old?

That's not what I was getting at, and i'm pretty sure you know it. A teacher shagging a pupil is an abuse/breach of trust, ditto a doctor having it away with a patient. A footballer having sexual contact with a 15 year old is not an abuse of trust in relation to his occupation.

He is obviously a naughty boy, probably deserves punishment but 6 years is excessive in my view.  

Although he should have come clean straight away instead of dragging it through the courts and he probably gets a slap on the wrist.  

If I were his lawyer, I'd be appealing and hopefully get a judge who had done far worse.

i think it is, and so did the judge. like it or not its a role model type occupation where the club uses its employees to sell tickets/merchandise etc to minors via their parents, involves them in community activities like school visits etc

Which means that you're putting footballers on a level occupational pegging with teachers when stuff like this happens. Which is absurd.

Correct.  Next footballers will have to be police checked before signing their contracts if this is the case.  I have never understood the role model angle thrown at brain dead professional sports people just because they earn a fortune.  You never hear non league footballers earning £500 a week being called role models and they do exactly the same thing just earn less money.

again, he's an adult. purely as an adult there is an element of trust. don't think (i may be wrong) the court distinguishes on category of offence by occupation its the seriousness and extent of activity and the tariff is set within boundaries according to that

yes we would all say the biggest abuse of trust is teacher/doctor/childcare worker etc but whether he is a footballer, accountant, car dealer whatever there is still an abuse of trust

personally i consider footballer to be somewhere between run of the mill occupation and teacher/doctor on the scale of shock at abuse of trust , precisely because they are promoted as role models to kids and rolled out to functions/events/schools/christmas hospital visits etc

Howling with laughter man

the difference is the role they are asked to fulfill by their employer. its nothing to do with the money they earn, its the public involvement as role models to their supporters, a percentage of which will be minors. that is the club and media's doing

Simply can't agree. Just cos they visit little Timmy in hospital 4 days before Christmas doesn't mean they suddenly have a teacher/pupil esque 'relationship' with minors. As Arbs touches on, what about the lower league players who train 5 days a week, play on a weekend and not much more? Are they escalated to abuse of trust platforms should they get involved with a 15 year old?

And this is purely from an occupational point of view btw so you don't need to reiterate the ''again, he's an adult. purely as an adult there is an element of trust''.

He uses his position as an excuse to meet her (shirt signing), so has abused his position.

no problem mr vowels, happy to agree to disagree

i might also refer you back to ched evans, where the offence was against an adult and the judge there referred to the footballer's position as an influential role model too

that looked a lot more questionable in the summing up (the role model part) than this does, imo

I think the whole role model stuff is silly anyway. They kick a ball around a pitch, if people want to idolise them then fair enough, but that's the fans prerogative. I'm not naïve, any good up and coming footballer should be aware of the potential spotlight they will be under, but ultimately its still just a job.

Question....replace Johnson with member X from boyband Y, would you still consider it a breach of occupational trust?

again yes. perhaps even more so. whole music industry, particularly the boyband side or primtetime talent competitions promotes to kids whether through public appearances, signings, concerts, albums, downloads. i would imagine a judge would be equally as unequivocal if a boyband member who in the course of his profession comes into contact with plenty of kids abuses that

Think boy band definitely.  I think Tighty is right, it is somewhere between teacher and normal nobody.  The judge saw it as relevant to his sentencing and I guess he is just following sentencing guidelines.  If he has misinterpreted something, then I guess they could appeal the sentencing.

There are musicians who girls think of as attractive - because they're a musician;
There are teachers who girls thinks of as attractive - because they're a teacher;
There are sports people (including non league footballers) in the same position - because they're sports "stars" (of some degree)

You don't have to be equating them all to the same level to say that those in that position who take advantage of their fans are  abusing some level of trust.

Whilst I disagree with it a little, I can see why the judge would see it like that. IMO the abuse of trust comes from the fact that a high percentage of young lads grow up wanting to be a footballer and so will mirror some of the things their heroes do eg haircut or clothing. And with society how it is these days, it only takes 1 kid to see this and be influenced

Heard on Sky news that the Doctor who got involved in the case had found some of AJ behaviour towards sexual desires very disturbing, he kept the arrest quite for as long as he did cos that way he was still bagging £60k a week from Sunderland, We won the league with a pedo on the wing, hope he rots in Leeds, shit player, obnoxious and shows no feelings of his guilt.

Sunderland won the league?

When he use to play for Mcfc

its paedo

and he's not a paedophile, that's for pre-pubescent children

It's such a shame that the tabloid press can't report these things in a sensible manner.

One of the Red Tops had a screaming front page sub-headline today - "he loved sex with teenagers on the bonnet of a car".

I'm guessing a lot of healthy young men would enjoy exactly the same thing.   

Football cannot ignore serious issues raised by Adam Johnson case

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2016/03/24/adam-johnson-case-raises-issues-football-cannot-ignore/

Still not acceptable in my opinion, beautifully girlfriend, a father and not a care in the world.

Bemused by this discussion. He didn't get six years just because of what he did sexually with the girl.

The judge made it crystal clear that he maxed it because Johnson denied what happened for so long, leading to her being bullied live and online and causing her to develop psychological problems. The judge's comments are in all the reports.

no one is saying it is acceptable.

he compounded an offence by subsequent behaviours as per the post above

Agree, it's "not acceptable", on that we can agree. Whether it warrants 6 years in Prison is another matter.

The lad is, to put it mildly, not terribly bright. That's the root of the problem, imo.

Deserves punishment, yes, but 6 years in prison, his career totally destroyed, & I guess his life is, too, he does not seem the sort of guy who would find a 9-5 job too easy to adopt, even if he can find one.     

Good write up by the Telegraph.

That's fair comment, yes, but again, he's just not a very bright lad, so he made some terrible decisions.   

With the British Justice system he will be out in 3 years and unemployable.

Can't help think he looks like Pete Linton every time I see his pic lol

Didn't he plead guilty to 2 offences and deny 2 others.  He was found not guilty of one of the offences he denied.  We can speculate, but that was the jury's decision.  I haven't seen any of the comments on social media, but what proportion related to the offence he was found not guilty of?  Should he have pleaded guilty to avoid that?

I know the results of his actions, but he us been held responsible for the actions of others.  In the Ched Evans case, it seemed clear that he was connected to a website, which at least for some while, encouraged the actions of others.  In this case, Johnson seemed to have little to do with it, other than making a decision to plead not guilty.

Doobs he plenty not guilty to all charges for months and only changed plea in 2 cases the day trial started

He denied everything for a long time, over a year. On the first day of the trial, he changed his position on two of the charges and pleaded guilty in a tactic designed to try to get off on the other two and get a light sentence. The judge was referring to the long period when he denied everything. Althoigh you present all four charges as if they were equally bad, the two that he pleaded guilty to were the least serious, ie grooming and kissing her. The other charges, one of which he was found guilty of, were much more serious, and he denied them to the end.

Regarding him having nothing to do with the online bullying, close friends of his are known to have done so and his sister runs a site of 5,000 members which has been used for that purpose.

Sorry, bad memory on the time of the guilty charges.   Of course you are right. 

As I said, I had no knowledge of who had been doing the bullying as I had seen none of it.  It is proper douchebaggery to do this through your friends/relatives.  Should drag them through the court and give them some jailtime too.

Fair point by the judge then. 

I would add that the charge he was found guilty of appeared less serious than the not guilty one, so even if he had pleaded guilty to the other 3, wouldnt the online bullying have been similar? 

Well said

The girl took an overdose which reports suggest could on another day have killed her. I imagine she will have to move area completely to try and avoid anymore abuse though even that probably wont help

Come on now, that can't be blamed on Johnson. 

This girl knew full well where this was going, if you read those text messages/whatsapp if she felt in danger at anytime she should have approached someone.   

Should've been made to play for Sunderland for another 6 years, that's punishment enough.

A 15 year old girl not asking for help shocker...

It's it's.

If we're being pedantic.

:)

It's It's, isn't it ?

That rather depends on whether it's its it's or not.

Given the case of Craig Thomson, convicted of (slightly) less when a Hearts player, he'll find employment abroad, especially as he is a better player.

Will he be allowed to go abroad? Will he have to sign on the sex offenders register and have regular contact with the authorities?

That's why Ched hasn't resumed his career on the continent.

Thomson's on the register. Don't know about the restrictions.

What did he do?

Maybe help wasn't required, ffs she had a bit of a play about with a footballer probably the fantasy of most 15 year old girls.  

Are you saying you weren't sexually active at 15?   What if it had been a 17 year old footballer who was about to make it, would it have made any difference?

Something online, can't remember if it was through a web cam or something.   Rings a bell.  Was a few years back. 

Craig Thompson - hardly a career after the event mind - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craig_Thomson_(footballer,_born_1991)

It's not isn't it ? It's isn't it? Isn't it?

Plays in a junior league now lol

Are you suggesting that she 'asked for it'?
World of difference between the fantasies of a 15yr old and the reality of being groped in a car parked in a dark corner...

to me what this guy did was by far alot worse he got 34 months

https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/news/moray/858914/man-abused-girl-kitchen-table-people-completely-unaware-ate-dinner-nearby/

Strange questions leave you to it

Would agree, but would have said this guy should never be released.

Is the reason he got less his early plea/law changes since the dates of the offences?

It could have been like the original Stuart Hall trial?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-22932222 (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-22932222)

The judge said for most of Hall's offences the maximum sentence at the time they were committed was two years, but the remainder carried a potential term of five years.
He added: "The maximum sentence for this type of offence has been significantly increased, since these offences were committed, to 10 years."


FWIW The original Hall sentence was increased on appeal

They weren't addressed to you. They were a response to the bolded portion of PokerBroker's post.

6 years is utterly ridic. Look at the sentences of footballers in recent times

Ched Evans, rape, pleaded not guilty throughout. 3 years, was it? out in nearly 2?

Jordan Robertson killed family in drink driving incident, 32 months.

Adam Johnson has some sort of sexual intention with someone 15 and eventually pleads guilty. Gets 6 years. In my eyes, his offence was the least serious, imo.

So his sentence is too long just because others are too short?

I think the calculated nature of the crime needs to be taken into account aswell.

Deserved what?  from what I can see she was willing to go along with it all.   Had she been 12 I'd have been like life for the scumbag, but the majority of 1 year olds are sexually active these days.  They know what is going on. 

Nobody, regardless of age ever deserves to be abused or to "ask for it".   

You might wanna fix that typo quick....

The thing with this is, in half of Europe it's not a crime. Craig Thomson got a game in Lithuania as age of consent was 14 and it's hard to vilify someone who hasn't broken the laws of your land. Interestingly they upped it to 16 in 2010, after he arrived!!

However, it's the laws of our land, his job demands a higher level of social responsibility. I am fully for making example of role models. The money they earn is the risk premium for living a life in the spot light, and the increased scrutiny.  He also has access to the best lawyers that Joe Bloggs cannot get. He lied throughout and showed little to no sincere remorse. I think it's about right, he gets a top end sentence.

Jordan Robertson killed one person in a death by dangerous driving incident.  I think you have the wrong footballer/sentence. His sentence seems in line with the guidelines.  I am not sure how it compares, as the other two offences were intentional, yet Mr Robertson appears to have killed someone while distracted.  I don't want to diminish the death of someone here, but there can't be a driver who hasn't done something stupid whilst distracted.  

i think he means Ross McCormick.

I would never have guessed that the age of consent is 14 in almost half of Europe.

They are far more liberal in most European countries about things such as sex/alcohol/drugs and they tend not to have as many problems as we have.   

Yet by the age of 14 - 15 I'd estimate that the majority of youngsters have either drank, taken recreational drugs or had a sexual experience.   

FYP.

Thank you yes, the Plymouth goalkeeper

Where does the word 'deserved' come into this?

who says she was willing? How much of her willingness stemmed from the exalted position that Johnson held?

Saville, Hall, Harris all played on their place in the entertainment business, how is this different?

I think that the married shoolteacher Jeremy Forrest who ran off to France with his sixteen-year-old pupil having kissed her at fourteen and started having sex with her at fifteen is an interesting comparison.

I would say that what he did is far worse as far as grooming and abusing his position is concerned, yet he only received a five and a half year sentence.

IIRC there is some part of sentencing where a guilty plea automatically cuts the sentence that is available. I assume that would have been the situation for that case.

The problem in comparing any sentencing is that length of jail time is a very crude instrument - there's no way you could take into account the severity of every single crime plus the guilt or remorse of the perpetrator plus the effect on the victim plus any other mitigating factors and come up with a single length of jail time figure which would compare with every other situation and not have some which look disproportionately easy or severe.

One thing I was surprised at was that he had been arrested previously for having animal porn. Didn't know that was illegal. Unless pain is inflicted, I'm not sure why it should be.

Perhaps its worse, maybe Johnson thought she was 15 in dogs years.

Is this a level?

Guessing he doesn't realise animal porn involves humans!!!

Animal porn is freely available* from all good pornagents.

Doubt very much whether it's illegal to own it.

*When I say freely available, a magazine with erotic video offerings that I came across a year or two back had a small section offering videos involving animals.

Best post ever Ralph you Beastiality expert!!

For want of a better expression?

❤️ Ralph

Footballer Adam Johnson has formally lodged an appeal against his six-year sentence for grooming and sexual activity with a girl aged 15.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-36023554