Judge sums up in footballer Adam Johnson’s under-age sex trial

The judge in the trial, Jonathon Rose, began his summing up of the case to the jury yesterday and is due to finish this morning.

The girl said that, at first, she found it “surreal” that the player she idolised was sending her online messages, but insisted she now hates the 28-year-old for making her out to be a liar.

The charges relate to an incident that occurred after Johnson picked the girl up in his Range Rover in County Durham, northeast England on January 30 a year ago.

She said she believed Johnson when he said he had only kissed the schoolgirl.

He said to officers it was the girl who first asked for a “thank you kiss” – when it was him.

The court has heard the girl added Johnson as a friend on Facebook on December 31 2015.

Earlier, the judge warned the jury that their decisions must “not rely on sympathy either for the girl or for Adam Johnson”, and that they must “put such feelings out of the way, and only concentrate on the evidence”.

Judge Rose yesterday reminded the jury that Johnson had admitted lying on eight occasions.

However, he said “lies alone can not prove a case” and that the jury must not assume he is guilty because he lied.

“The defence say it is quite clear that the girl is lying”.

He said: ‘The prosecution says these lies were told in an attempt to hide Adam Johnson’s guilt’. You must consider all the evidence.

But the jury was instructed to “ignore” any suggestion Johnson’s ex-Sunderland team mate, £12m Scottish worldwide Steven Fletcher, had decided not to give evidence.

Johnson has admitted grooming her in social networking messages and sexual activity involving kissing.

The judge said the jury should also take into account the fact that Johnson was previously of good character and that he is now convicted of the two sexual offences to which he has admitted.

He denies two further counts of sexual activity involving penetration with the schoolgirl.

He said: “The fact that the defendant pleaded guilty to those two matters is not direct evidence that he committed the offences on this indictment”.

The jury retires to consider its verdict in the trial of Adam Johnson, who is accused of two counts of sexual activity with a 15-year-old girl.