Ghouls wanting to tour paedo footballer Adam Johnson’s £1.8m mansion must prove they can afford it
Five-bedroom home went on sale after his conviction in March and comes with 2.2 acres of woodland grounds, a putting green and a private cinema
Ghouls wanting to tour Adam Johnson’s £1,850,000 mansion are being warned that they can’t see it unless they can prove they’ve got the cash to buy it.
Estate agents handling the sale of the convicted paedopadhile’s swanky home are requesting all would-be buyers show they have got a mortgage offer, cash or a house of similar value that could be sold to finance the move.
The disgraced sportsman bought the house for £1,575,000 in 2012 with the estate agent’s blurb describing it as a property of “prestige and rarity” which “offers luxurious living on a grand scale”.
Johnson's five-bedroom mansion in Castle Eden, County Durham, has 2.2 acres of woodland and also comes with a putting green and a cinema room.
Last night a source revealed: “The last thing the estate agents want is to be showing dozens of ghouls and voyeurs around the place who are just looking around for kicks.
“They want serious potential buyers only and not an endless stream of freaks and crazies. There are people who would just want to look around for a cheap thrill.
“Sure, asking for proof of funds might not weed out everyone but people with a couple of million quid in the bank aren’t usually the type to look around a house just because it has a notorious owner.”
To help the sale go through more quickly all memory of the England capped winger living at the house has been scrubbed as his family try to find a buyer.
The former star’s photographs and football shirts that used to adorn the walls of his lavish country pile have been taken down.
His England caps and shirts plus tops swapped with other Premier League stars used to take pride of place in the home’s gym and games room.
The mansion, which is set in its own grounds, is on the market after the £60,000-a-week player was jailed for six years in March on sex offences.
A source said: “The buyer will obviously eventually know who owns the place but it was thought that it was better to keep that low key while potential buyers look around the house.
“The view was that people should be able to make up their minds about the house without the taint of knowing immediately who owns it.
“It is a stunning house and Johnson’s criminal past shouldn’t prevent it being sold quickly because it is immaculate.”
The property went on the market soon after the former Sunderland player, 29, was told he couldn’t appeal against his conviction or the length of sentence he was given for his crimes.
He previously shared the house with his girlfriend Stacey Flounders but she has since moved out with their one-year-old daughter Ayla.
The disgraced player admitted grooming and one count of sexual activity with a 15-year-old girl when he appeared at Bradford crown court earlier this year.
He was then convicted of another, more serious offence, of sexual activity with the girl but he was acquitted on a third charge of sexual activity.
As a footballer he won 12 caps for England and scored two goals in a career that saw him turnout for Middlesbrough, Manchester City and Sunderland.
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