Katie Hopkins calls 15-year-old victim of Adam Johnson child sex abuse a 'sl*g'
Mail Online columnist sparks angry Twitter backlash defending Johnson, who the CPS says 'exploited his fame to actively pursue a 15 year old girl for his own sexual gratification'
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The Mail Online columnist Katie Hopkins has faced a particularly vocal backlash on Twitter after she described the 15-year-old victim in the Adam Johnson grooming trial as a “slag”.
In a series of posts to social media, Ms Hopkins suggested the England footballer was the victim of a witch-hunt and urged her more than 600,000 followers to “look up the definition of paedophile”.
Johnson pleaded guilty to counts of grooming and sexual activity with a child, and was found guilty at trial of one more serious count of sexual activity with a child. He was cleared on one further similar count, but has been warned he faces jail when he is sentenced in two weeks’ time.
After two years at the Sun, Ms Hopkins was handed a prominent role as columnist at the Mail Online in September, where her controversial opinions are read around the world by 230 million unique visitors a month.
Yet that hasn’t stopped her from continuing to take offensive stances on social media. In a post on Sunday morning, she wrote of Johnson’s victim: “A child? YOU ARE KIDDING ME? Looking to impress her mates by snagging a footballer. Hey presto. From slag to wag.”
Among scores of responses she has received, some suggested she was “trolling a victim of sexual abuse”.
“Your continued abuse of this girl is appalling,” one reply read. “How u can defend a convicted sex offender is amazing.”
Another said: “I think you're wrong on this one Kate. 15 is 15 no matter what the circumstances.”
When Johnson was convicted last Wednesday, the Crown Prosecution Service issued a statement which said the footballer "chose to exploit that fame to actively pursue a 15 year old girl for his own sexual gratification, in full knowledge of her age".
It read: “The law in this country regarding sexual activity between adults and those under the age of 16 is clear. It exists to protect children from more experienced adults wishing to take advantage of them.
“Adam Johnson knew that what he was doing was wrong and went to great lengths to hide it. He encouraged his young victim to delete any traces of their online contact and, when she reported what had happened to police, he initially claimed to be unaware of her true age and told police that he had only ever kissed her.
“While he eventually admitted to those charges for which there was overwhelming documentary evidence, he continued to deny the true extent of their sexual contact.
“The victim in this case has endured months of abuse and personal attacks online. Had Adam Johnson wished to do so, he could have spared her further alarm and distress. I would like to thank her for her bravery in coming forward and giving evidence.”
A spokesperson for the CPS declined to comment specifically on Ms Hopkins’ posts.
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