Adam Johnson "believes he has a right to sex", a prosecutor has told Bradford Crown Court.
Karen Blackwell QC told the court a medical report said that Johnson believed his actions did not constitute an offence as he saw the victim as a young woman, not a child.
But the court heard that the ex-England star was "not a sexual deviant", during Johnson's sentencing for child sex offences.
https://twitter.com/JoshHalliday/status/712961236707774466
The disgraced former Sunderland player was also "in the habit of meeting girls for sex after training", the prosecution told the hearing.
The 28-year-old footballer could face up to 10 years in prison after being found guilty of one count of sexual activity with his teenage victim after earlier pleading guilty to a further count, and another of grooming the girl.
He was found not guilty on a separate charge during the trial.
https://twitter.com/JoshHalliday/status/712956557793894400
Johnson told a psychosexual therapist that he wishes to understand his sexual desires.
A doctor told the court that Johnson was "socially and physiologically immature", and his "development was retarded" as a young man, adding that "this has had a significant impact on his sexual habits", according to the Daily Mirror.
He then said he believed Johnson's actions in disregarding the girl's age were not as a result of lack of intelligence, but driven by sexual desire.
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Johnson is expected to hear his sentence later today.
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