Jury of eight women and four men sworn in to try footballer Adam Johnson on two child sex offence charges. Prosecution due to open shortly.
Adam Johnson sat with hands folded in the dock, his girlfriend Stacey Flounders sat next to his dad in the public gallery out of his eyeshot
Adam Johnson trial: Prosecutor Kate Blackwell QC tells jurors he showed a "sexual desire" for 15 year old girl he met at Sunderland AFC
Johnson decided to act in a way he knew was both morally and legally wrong - knowing she was under age of consent, court told
The girl was Sunderland season ticket holder. Her favourite player was Adam Johnson. She waited after games for a photo with him, jury told
"She had an enormous crush on him. He was her absolute hero. She idolised him," prosecutor says of Adam Johnson girl, 15
She sent Adam Johnson a Facebook friend request. He accepted and then messaged her asking for her mobile number, jury told.
Johnson proved who he was by posting "Happy New Year" on his Twitter account. They swapped numbers and started talking on Whatsapp.
Despite Johnson asking her to delete all contact between them, she hadn't done so. She was "thrilled" to be talking to her hero, jury told.
Adam Johnson text to girl: "You in the last year of school?" Girl: "Year 10. Will you still send me a signed shirt?"
"When you 16?" Johnson asked schoolgirl on New Years Eve 2014. "November," she replied.
Johnson: "Where do you go out?"
Girl, 15: "I'm not old enough to go out."
Johnson: "Yeah but you look old enough."
Johnson asked what time to meet to give her a signed SAFC shirt. She said: "Afternoon. I'm having a lie in on my last day off school"
Johnson texts the girl to ask if she'll sit in his car for a bit. "Though you might be too shy to sit in," he said
She said she wasn't forward. Johnson: "Ah right. You're not forward? You gonna be forward with me?"
Talking about meeting up, Johnson tells her: "I will defo have to be dark"
First meeting between Johnson and the girl was on 17 Jan 2015 - 18 days after they began texting - behind a Chinese takeaway in C. Durham
The girl got in his black Range Rover. He put on interior light, got out a football shirt and signed it. They talked football.
The whole meeting lasted 15 minutes, court told, after which he dropped her off to meet a friend.
The girl later text Johnson to thank him for the shirt. "No problems. You owe me lol," he replied
"Thought I would've got a thank you kiss for the shirt," Johnson text the girl. They then talk about meeting again.
On 27 Jan the girl texted Johnson to say she still needed to say "thank you" for the shirt. He replied that he was looking forward to it.
Johnson: "Am in only getting a kiss?"
Girl: "Depends what else you're after"
AJ: "Depends what you're up for -a little bit more than a kiss"
They meet again on 30 Dec, court told, in his car behind same takeaway. Sexual activity took place, prosecution say.
After sexual activity in the car park, Johnson text her to say: "Wasn't bad was it? Lol"
Johnson went on to tell her: "Was class. Just wanted to get ya jeans off lol"
Girl: "Next time haha"
AJ: "I will last 10 seconds tho lol"
Later the girl asks Johnson to download Snapchat, so he does. "I was looking forward to a naughty Snapchat there lol," he text her
Jury told that Johnson set up a new Snapchat account to message the girl so his girlfriend wouldn't see his 'top friends'
Johnson searched internet for "legal age of consent" on 3 Feb, days after alleged sexual activity with 15 year old girl, court told
Girl was "distraught" after rumours started among schoolfriends about what she allegedly did with Johnson.
Her mother insisted she went to police, so girl did and Johnson was arrested on 2 March.
Upon his arrest Johnson told his girlfriend the girl "said she was 16". "That was a lie," prosecutor tells jury.
Johnson weaved "a web of lies" in first police interview, says pros. AJ told police he and girl hadn't done "anything other than a kiss"
AJ later told police he knew it was wrong to kiss the girl, "instantly felt upset with himself + told himself that his behaviour was poor"
Johnson was engaging in sex acts with schoolgirl when his partner text him heartfelt message trying to save relationship, court hears
AJ's girlfriend sent him pic of their baby. AJ: "She looks class" – 30 seconds after he text girl to say "I will last 10 seconds tho lol"
"These are not the actions of someone whose moral compass, having momentarily wobbled, quickly returned to a proper course," says Crown
In a police statement, AJ described their Whatsapp texts as "cyber-flirting" and conceded he had kissed her.
AJ explained his "you felt really turned on" text as: "the passionate way that she was kissing and hugging him and nothing more than that"
Court hears that girl, 15, sent AJ a Snapchat wearing a white bikini. "Send another one with the bikini off," he allegedly replied
Crown says Johnson "knew her age, he knew she looked up to him, he knew he could take advantage of her and he did."
