FORMER Sunderland chief executive Margaret Byrne received an £850,000 pay-off despite her disastrous handling of Adam Johnson’s conviction for child sexual offences.

Byrne resigned from her role at the Stadium of Light last March after receiving widespread condemnation for her decision to allow Johnson to continue playing for the Black Cats even though he had privately admitted to the offences that would eventually lead to his imprisonment for grooming and sexual activity with a child.

The former Sunderland chief admitted to a “serious error of judgement” as she stepped down from her position, but the club’s latest accounts reveal she was still able to pocket a seven-figure sum.

Byrne received £1.2m between July 2015 and March 2016, with £850,000 of her income attributed to “compensation for loss of office”.

Byrne became of the youngest chief executives in professional football when she stepped up from her role as company secretary at the age of 31 in July 2011.

A qualified solicitor, she replaced Steve Walton, but her spell in charge of Sunderland saw the club incur spiralling debts while fighting a constant battle against relegation.

Having released their headline figures last week, the Black Cats published their full accounts yesterday, revealing an overall debt of £137.3m.

It is the tenth straight season that Sunderland have posted a loss, with their latest deficit amounting to £33m. The wage bill rose from £77m to £83m, a figure that represents 77.6 per cent of the club’s overall turnover, and which was only surpassed by Aston Villa, Crystal Palace and Stoke.

Sunderland’s debt to banks fell slightly to £67.9m, but the amount the club owes to owner Ellis Short has risen from £52.6m in 2015 to £69.4m in the period covered by the accounts, which runs to July 31, 2016.

The Black Cats paid £6.9m in interest in the 12-month accounting period, the fourth-highest figure in the Premier League behind Manchester United, Arsenal and Tottenham.