Sunderland have made a series of major errors of judgment, all the more astonishing given that the club's CEO is a solicitor.

What Sunderland should have done immediately after his arrest, in light of the seriousness of the charges and regardless of what they did or didn't know, is suspended Johnson on full pay until the trial. This would be the common HR best practice in such an instance. Furthermore, given that the accuser was one of their supporters who first met Johnson on the club's premises, they also had a duty of care to her (unless you think club's have no responsibility for the well being and safety of their supporters.)

It seems very, very clear that Sunderland simply concluded that they needed Johnson on the pitch to help them avoid relegation and any moral or legal issues be damned.

What adds insult to injury is that they were in possession of all the texts and had an admission from Johnson he had kissed the girl. Whether or not he told them he intended to plead guilty is completely irrelevant; as a solicitor Margaret Byrne must have realised from the text messages that he was almost certain to be found guilty of grooming and as he told the club he had kissed the girl they must have known he would likely be convicted of that charge, whether he pled guilty or not.

Furthermore, once Byrne was aware of that fact she was in a position where, if she had been called as a witness (which was likely had Johnson not changed his plea on the first two counts) she would either have had to admit she knew of his guilt all along or deny it at the risk of perjuring herself (and, thus, being struck off.) Which rather suggests that Johnson's change of plea didn't come as a total surprise to her at all but she'd achieved her purpose (avoiding relegation) by that stage and could then deny everything and push Johnson under the bus. Which Sunderland have duly done.

A truly revolting club -- at least at an executive level. Sam is the perfect fit for them. I feel sorry for the supporters and I, too, am amazed that in view of their actions Sunderland are getting off reasonably lightly. Byrne should have resigned the moment Johnson was convicted and the fact that she is still in her job three days later tells you all you need to know about Ellis Short's moral position.

Sydenham by birth. Selhurst by the Grace of God.

Not like that anymore unfortunatly. Will be banged up in a Sex Offenders wing and often they are single cell. They mix with other scumbags and nobody rarely does anything to them as they lose their privlages. CCTV covers almost everywhere so not even the officers get to have a pop.

I'd be more concerned about being banged up with a load of sex offenders. They strike me as being more prone towards sexual assaults on other prisoners, given the nature of their offences.

In 2014-15 there were 1958 reported assaults in prison and 170 sexual assaults. These were the highest in the last 10 years.

A quarter of the non-sexual assaults recorded were on prison staff - However its worth noting that these are always documented, where as assaults on inmates can often go unreported.

"One Nation Under God, has turned into One Nation Under the Influence of One Drug"
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I'm just surprised that they found a 15 year old in Sunderland who didn't already have kids.

My girlfriend of the time was at university there, and I made the mistake of going up for a long weekend. Its the worst place I've ever had the misfortune to go - A horrible run down, s**ty scumhole full of proudly ignorant f**kwitted s**tkickers. Its only redeeming features are its 10 minutes to Newcastle by train.

In fact its so s**t the homeless in Sunderland move to Newcastle as soon as they have train fare.

They should be deducted points for away fans having to go there.

"One Nation Under God, has turned into One Nation Under the Influence of One Drug"
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He's the worst kind of nonce though, most pedophiles probably don't have a choice in being sexually attracted to children - Not Johnson, he seems to have just fancied the girl, knew she was too young and did it anyhow.

Interestingly something that isn't reported, is that there are many paedophiles who don't commit offences and willingly consent to attend therapy and drug treatment programs (including chemical castration programs) - Absurdly its easier to get this treatment after you've been convicted than before you start offending.

"One Nation Under God, has turned into One Nation Under the Influence of One Drug"
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Got to disagree on that to be honest - as a hetrosexual male, I'm attracted to women, just because I dont get it often (I'm married) it doesn't mean that I will go out and rape someone. Kiddy fiddling is evil, end of - it isn't just about being attracted to children, its about power over weakness and numerous other things - I have literally no sympathy for anyone that acts on those urges. None in the slightest. I admit to sympathy for someone that seeks help and doesn't act on it but that's it.