Child protection experts have said that EPL side Sunderland made a "catastrophic error of judgment" when the club allowed Adam Johnson to continue playing despite knowing he "privately admitted kissing a 15-year-old school girl," according to Josh Halliday of the London GUARDIAN. The struggling club is "facing mounting questions over its decision to stand by the midfielder" following his arrest over child sex offenses on March 2 last year. Amid "growing calls for an external investigation into the club’s handling of the case," the prominent campaigner Peter Saunders, appointed by the Pope to a Vatican sex abuse commission last year, said, "Knowing what they knew about his behavior, it is unacceptable that he was allowed to continue to play. But of course Sunderland AFC is not the first club to have shown disregard for the grossly inappropriate behavior of an employee or indeed to have shown no regard for the child victim." In a "carefully worded statement issued after the verdicts," Sunderland AFC said that it would have "sacked Johnson immediately had club officials known he intended to plead guilty to two child sex offences." However, the club failed to address evidence heard at Bradford crown court that Johnson privately admitted to the club as long ago as May 4, 2015 that "he kissed the teenage fan and sent her sexually explicit messages." In evidence to his trial, Johnson said that he told "everything" to Sunderland CEO Margaret Byrne at the meeting and "there was no suggestion he would be sacked." It also emerged at the trial that Byrne had copies of the 834 WhatsApp messages Johnson exchanged with the girl, "as well as transcripts of their police interviews." Sunderland-based domestic violence group Wearside Women in Need Dir Clare Phillipson accused the club of an "absolute betrayal" of its fans for allowing Johnson to continue playing. In a statement, Sunderland said that it "had been under the impression Johnson would plead not guilty to all four child sex offence charges." However, the club "failed to deny" knowing nearly a year ago that Johnson privately admitted kissing and sending explicit messages to the girl -- the two counts he eventually pleaded guilty to on Feb. 10 (GUARDIAN, 3/3).
MASSIVE SHOCK: REUTERS' Simon Jennings reported Sunderland Manager Sam Allardyce said that Johnson's guilty plea to a child sex charge came as a "massive shock" to him as he was under the impression the former England player was pleading not guilty. Allardyce said that he had no knowledge that the player was guilty and felt "let down" by his behavior. Allardyce: "All I knew was he was pleading not guilty on all charges. It was a massive shock. My position was just what I'd heard from Adam, but him changing his plea was a shock while with the end verdict you can have nothing but sympathy for the victim. Justice has been done, he's let everybody down" (REUTERS, 3/3).
