Adam Johnson lodges appeal against child sex conviction

Player seen smirking as he ran into court, where he is expected to be jailed

Johnson was seen smirking as he ran into court (PA)

Adam Johnson has lodged an appeal against his conviction for sexual activity with a child.

The former England and Sunderland footballer's lawyer, Orlando Pownall, confirmed the appeal at Bradford Crown Court, where he is awaiting sentencing.

He was convicted of sexual activity with a child involving penetration, but was cleared of a similar second charge.

The 28-year-old admitted grooming and a less serious charge of sexual activity, namely kissing.

He was pictured running into court ahead of the hearing, as a line of police officers guarded the front as reporters and photographers waited outside.

Johnson has been warned he faces a "substantial prison sentence".

Earlier his sister said she would not be in court because "I just don't want him to see the pain in my eyes".

She said Johnson's former partner and the mother of his one-year-old daughter, Stacey Flounders, will also not be at the hearing.

In a Facebook post, Ms Johnson said: "Today is the sentencing for my brother, the worst day of my life.

"I just wanted to let all of the supporters know that I will not be attending Bradford Crown Court, the reason for this is Adam has always been my hero, my brother and my best friend, I just don't want him to see the pain in my eyes!

"Instead I will be at home with my little boy, Adam's number 1 fan, Adam's daughter and the mother of his child Stacey.

"I remain proud of my big brother and I am 100% behind him and I always will be."

Judge Jonathan Rose made the jail warning after granting Johnson bail, telling him: "You can say goodbye to your daughter. A prison sentence will mean you will not see her for some time."

Judge Rose told the player - who earned £60,000 a week with Sunderland - his preliminary view was that the case falls into the category of a five-year prison sentence with a possible range of four to 10 years.

All the charges relate to an incident in Johnson's Range Rover when he met up with the girl in County Durham on January 30 last year.

The jury heard how Johnson began exchanging hundreds of messages with the girl on social media at New Year 2015. He eventually agreed to meet her to sign football shirts.

But it was when they met for a second time that he asked for his "thank you kiss".

Johnson admitted kissing the girl but denied any further sexual activity. The girl told the jury how the player digitally penetrated her after putting his hands down her pants and that she then gave him oral sex.

The jury cleared Johnson of the count relating to oral sex but found him guilty on a majority of 10-2 on the count relating to the digital penetration.

After he was found guilty, his teenage victim said she felt "so broken". She said she had endured a year of being called a liar as Johnson continued to proclaim his innocence.

The player made his guilty pleas just before his trial began in February.

After the trial ended, a row erupted over just how much Sunderland AFC knew about what its player had done when it let him play on before finally sacking him earlier this year after his guilty pleas.

The club later said it was "so very sorry" for letting down its 15-year-old fan after chief executive Margaret Byrne resigned.

Ms Byrne admitted "a serious error of judgment" in advising the board that the star winger could carry on playing after he was initially suspended last March.

Johnson, a £10 million signing, helped the Wearside team to narrowly avoid relegation from the Premier League last year.

The player - who was capped 12 times for England - has a one-year-old daughter with Ms Flounders, who supported him during the court case but who told the jury they were now just friends.

Additional reporting by the Press Association