FORMER England and Sunderland footballer Adam Johnson has been jailed for six years after using his celebrity status to engage in sexual activity with a 15-year-old female fan.

The 28-year-old, who it was said in court has been stripped of his 12 England caps, stood with his hands behind his back and showed no emotion as Judge Jonathan Rose sentenced him.

Parents, Sonia and Dave looked on grim-faced from the public gallery.

The sentencing followed Johnson being found guilty of sexual activity with the teenager during an incident in his Range Rover behind a Chinese takeaway in County Durham last year.

He also admitted a charge of sexual activity with a child and another of grooming the girl.

The winger, who until the start of his trial last month earned £60,000-a-week, later appeared in court in a grey sweatshirt and jogging bottoms to wear to prison as legal discussions were held over what details about the case could be reported.

However, it can now be revealed that Johnson may have been suffering from sexually transmitted infections when he was arrested.

Detectives who raided the footballer's £1.8m home in Castle Eden, County Durham, on March 2 last year found some medicines in a safe which indicated the shamed footballer may have been treating himself for the infections.

While examining the sacked Sunderland player's mobile phone, police officers unearthed images of an infected penis and found internet searches about sexually transmitted diseases.

The footballer’s device also contained related messages between him and the mother of his daughter and then girlfriend, Stacey Flounders, who told Johnson's trial that he had cheated on her with "quite a few women".

Kate Blackwell QC, prosecuting, told Bradford Crown Court that Johnson used his position as a Premier League star to get women into bed and was "in the habit of meeting girls at their houses for sex on his way back from training".

She said his offence with the schoolgirl was "a clandestine habit of the defendant".

When his daughter, Ayla, was just seven-weeks-old Johnson messaged a woman to meet in Darlington.

They exchanged numerous texts as he worked out a secret location and in the messages said he hoped to have sex with her on the bonnet of his Range Rover.

After his arrested on March 2 last year police seized his mobile and computer devices and found Johnson had watched bestiality videos and X-rated videos of teenage girls, and had visited a website called Nice Young Teens.

The details emerged at a preliminary hearing at Durham Crown Court last August, where Judge Christopher Prince banned the media from reporting the discoveries until after Johnson's trial, saying the matter was not relevant to what the trial jury would need to determine.

Judge Rose told Johnson the offences happened "at a time when you were engaged in frequent sexual intercourse with multiple partners".

He said: "You made a deliberate decision to engage in sexual activity with this young girl, no doubt in the expectation that you would get away with it. Your future as a professional footballer must be in doubt."

The court heard from leading psychiatrist Dr Philip Hopley, who said Johnson had not gone through puberty until he was 17 which could have contributed to his compulsive sexual behaviour.

Judge Rose told Johnson, who earned £3m in the year after he was arrested, that he had "every opportunity" to enter guilty pleas to the charges he finally admitted.

He said Johnson's decision not to plead guilty meant the girl was subjected to a year of being called a liar, including having this chanted by football fans.

He said she reached her "lowest ebb" after giving evidence in the trial and that her school work had suffered.

Johnson’s parents shook their heads as Miss Blackwell said those closest to the footballer had actively encouraged internet trolls to abuse the schoolgirl.

The prosecution barrister said Johnson's family had “not only provided a platform, but encouraged and promoted” vile abuse of the schoolgirl on social media, while Judge Rose referred to how Sunderland fans added to her torment by chanting at matches.

In a victim impact statement, she said: "I have entered many dark places over this 12-month period and at times just wanting to shut the whole world out feeling unable to face anyone.

"For a whole year I have been accused of many things and being unable to defend myself has made this hard to deal with not just for me but for my family and close friends, it has affected us all.

"I just wanted to pretend I didn't exist and none of this was real."

In another impact statement, the victim's mother said: "Morally I still believe it was the right decision to report this to police to protect other young children."

In mitigation, Orlando Pownall QC said the incident had been an aberration by Johnson.

He added: "This is not the case of a predatory paedophile who has sought out children in the plural. There is no reason to suppose in the light of the experience that Mr Johnson has had and continues to have that he would continue to use the internet to search for people below the age of consent."

The judge said Johnson must pay £50,000 of the prosecution's £67,132 costs.

After sentencing, Detective Inspector Aelfwynn Sampson, of Durham Constabulary, said: “This is a carefully considered and significant sentence which sends out a clear message.

“Fame, celebrity and a position of power does not give you the right to break the law in pursuit of whatever you desire.

“Members of the public are clearly entitled to express their opinions but the law remains clear and Adam Johnson broke it.

“He partially admitted his guilt and was found guilty of a more serious count after trial.

“The age of consent is clear. It is set at 16 to protect young people from adults and also themselves.

“Johnson, a 28-year-old man, picked out a 15-year-old girl. His sexual intentions to the girl were clear as he admitted himself while giving evidence.

“He pleaded guilty to grooming her for sexual activity fully knowing how old she was from the start. She never lied about her age to him.

“He groomed his victim and gave her his personal phone number, arranged to meet her and gave her special gifts of signed shirts.

“Over a period of time they exchanged hundreds of messages. He made her feel special and admitted flirting with her to manipulate the schoolgirl in an attempt to satisfy his sexual desires. 

“This girl should have been safe but she was used by the public figure she looked up to most.

“I hope today will bring some closure for her and her family.

“This case demonstrates that victims of these crimes will be taken seriously and perpetrators will be dealt with robustly.”

Before the hearing, Johnson's sister, Faye, posted a message saying neither she or his former girlfriend would be attending the sentencing and that she had been working hard on launching an Adam Johnson Appeal website.

She said: "Adam has always been my hero, my brother and my friend. I don't want him to see the pain in my eyes."