Former Sunderland footballer Adam Johnson to appeal six-year sentence

Sacked Sunderland footballer Adam Johnson is set to appeal against his six-year sentence this week, according to a Facebook page set up by his supporters. He has already lodged an appeal against his conviction with the high court.

"Appeal Against Conviction lodged! Appeal Against Sentence is imminent this week! Thanks to everyone for your continued support it means a lot! I will never give up!" read the message, which is believed to be posted by Johnson's sister, Faye on the Facebook page. It has attracted over 7,000 likes so far.

Johnson, 28, was sentenced to six years in jail at Bradford Crown Court after committing three child sex offences against a 15-year-old female fan. He groomed the girl – who cannot be named for legal reasons – over social media and gave her several gifts, including signed football gear. He is believed to have sent nearly 800 messages to the victim after their first meeting over a two-month period.

Extreme pornography involving animals was allegedly found on Johnson's laptop and he was found taking medication for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) at the time of his arrest in January 2015. Johnson's internet browsing activity and information about his STD medication were not revealed to the jury during his trial but were later reported after restrictions were lifted.