Adam Johnson admits 'playing down' claims of sexual activity with 15-year-old girl

The England footballer told a court his world was 'turned upside down' when he was first arrested

Footballer Adam Johnson arrives at Bradford Crown Court to give evidence in Bradford (Nigel Roddis/Getty Images)

Adam Johnson has admitted he wanted to engage in sexual activity with a 15-year-old and that he knew how young she was the first time they started talking.

The England footballer told a court his world was "turned upside down" when he was first arrested.

He said he "panicked" and was "in turmoil" during his police interview after his arrest in March last year because he thought the girl had deleted the messages and that they would never be seen.

The 28-year-old former Sunderland winger told Bradford Crown Court he admitted kissing the girl in his car but said he tried to "play it down".

The girl says Johnson performed oral sex on her in a car park on 30 January, which the footballer denies. He told the court they kissed and he then left her at a shop to “buy some sweets or something”, according to the Daily Mail.

The court has heard the pair exchanged telephone numbers and messages for a number of weeks before meeting in January last year for Johnson to sign a Sunderland shirt for the girl.

Johnson had described how the WhatsApp messages became "flirty" and "inappropriate" before a second meeting on January 30.

Johnson has admitted grooming and passionately kissing the girl in his black Range Rover but denies two counts of further sexual activity.

The footballer was arrested at the home he shares with his girlfriend Stacey Flounders in Castle Eden, Co Durham.

He admitted he tried to play the incident down "as much as I could."

When asked by Orlando Pownall QC, defending, about what state he was in during his first interview, Johnson said: "I was panicking. I had all these thoughts going through my mind about everything. To name a couple, my career, my family, I was in turmoil."

Johnson said he was "surprised" that the teenage girl had told police that further sexual activity had taken place.

He said: "I couldn't believe the things she was saying to police. I felt like someone else was telling her to say these things." He told the court that he did not try to feel her breasts or put his hands underneath her T-shirt.

He also denied engaging in oral sex, digital penetration or putting her hand on his penis.

PA