Adam Johnson faces long time on the sidelines after former England international is released from prison

Adam Johnson - Adam Johnson faces long time on the sidelines after former England international is released from prison
Adam Johnson was reunited with his family following his release from HMP Moorland Credit: REUTERS

Adam Johnson appears to have accepted he has no hope of rebuilding his football career in England after his release from his prison term for child sex offences.

Telegraph Sport understands he has made no contact with either the Professional Footballers’ Association nor clubs within immediate commuting distance of his County Durham home.

Peter Saunders, of the National Association for People Abused in Childhood (Napac), said last night that Johnson must never step out on a professional football pitch again, adding it would be an “affront” to all victims of grooming attacks.

The 31-year-old, formerly of Sunderland, Manchester City, and Middlesbrough, was freed from HMP Moorland on Friday, having served half of a six-year term for engaging in sexual activity with a besotted 15-year-old fan. 

He returned to his £2 million home in the early hours, where he was reportedly reunited with his four-year-old daughter, Ayla.

Johnson has no tag, but his conviction will make the possibility of playing abroad difficult.

The former England international remains on licence and, as part of his release conditions, he will no longer be permitted to spend time alone with his daughter. His father, Dave Johnson, said he was glad his son was home.

Saunders, chief executive of Napac, a high-profile charity that most notably worked with survivors of abuse by Jimmy Savile, said: “When people such as Adam Johnson ­commits this sort of crime, it is the absolute height of insensitivity to bring them back into the public ­domain. He is a footballer and a role model. Putting him back in the limelight is an affront to survivors, who are forced to live with these crimes for the rest of their lives.

“It sends a message that you can commit these crimes and then return to earning your millions. For footballers and people in the public domain, it has to be the end of their careers.”

A number of former inmates have previously been allowed to rebuild their careers in the English game. However, Rebecca Hitchen, of End Violence Against Women Coalition, said there must be no way back for Johnson.

“It is important to remember it is a role-model position and not a standard job, and therefore clubs and football authorities should think carefully about the message that hiring someone convicted of sexual offences sends to the fans and wider community,” she told Telegraph Sport. 

“There is a responsibility on football clubs to set an example and prioritise the concerns of victims and survivors of sexual violence and abuse when deciding who they work with.”

At his trial in 2016, the judge said Johnson had lied repeatedly, referring to the controversy over whether he delayed his guilty pleas to enable him to continue his £60,000-a-week career with Sunderland.

As a sex offender, Johnson will now have to register his address and bank details with police and inform officers of any intention to travel abroad.

Christopher Stacey, the co-director of Unlock, a charity representing people with convictions, believes Johnson should not be prevented from returning to his job. 

“The media fascination with Adam Johnson says less about him and his crime and more about us as a society,” he said. “Do we want people to be punished forever? All the evidence shows reoffending is reduced where people have stable accommodation and sustainable employment. This shouldn’t be about a ‘disgraced footballer’, it should be about making communities safer.”

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