Paedophile footballer Adam Johnson is ‘to leave jail by Friday

Adam Johnson is set to be released halfway through his six-year prison term.

Disgraced former England footballer Adam Johnson is set to leave prison by Friday, just halfway through his six-year sentence.

A source close to his family claims that Johnson, 31, will leave Moorlands Prison in Doncaster, South Yorkshire in the middle of the night 'under the cover of darkness to protect him from vigilantes'.

Johnson was sentenced to six years' imprisonment in 2016 for grooming and sexual activity with a 15-year-old.

However, the former Manchester City and Sunderland footballer is set to be released on parole in March.

His sister Faye tweeted on January 1 that she was excited at the prospect of having her brother home in 2019.

Johnson is reported to have received his final jail visit this week from his family, including his daughter Ayla, four. 

The source told the Sun: 'Adam is terrified about coming out of prison. He's worried about the backlash from nutters or vigilantes who might go for him.

'He was an admired footballer but knows he is now leaving prison as a paedophile.

'His family went to see him to reassure him they will be there waiting for him. It's because he is so scared officials made the decision about his release.

'He will be released in the middle of the week, in the middle of the night, under cover of darkness and into a waiting car.'

Prisoners are usually released from jail just after 6am - though exceptions are made for 'high profile' inmates. 

The news comes after his former girlfriend said she does not regard him as a paedophile.

Stacey Flounders, 29, also claimed she thought his six-year jail sentence for sexually touching a 15-year-old girl was 'extreme.'

Speaking for the first time about her ordeal, she said: 'What he did was wrong. In the eyes of the law she was a child and he should have known better. Even so, the sentence was a shock. I thought it was extreme.'

Miss Flounders said she and Johnson would tell their daughter Ayla, now aged four, the truth about his offending when she is 13.

She added: 'She'll have to make her own mind up about her father. To be honest, I don't see Adam as a paedophile. For me a paedophile is somebody who abuses tiny young children.

'I think that he was a sex addict – he told me he was a sex addict.

'But I do worry about Ayla for the future. She is the one who will have to cope with bullying and cruel remarks from other kids – and their parents.'

Miss Flounders also revealed she became pregnant with their second child in the run-up to the court case and decided to have a termination.

'I couldn't bring another baby into this world with everything that was going on,' she told the Mail on Sunday. 'It was heartbreaking but I felt I had no choice.'