Jack Tuohy, 20, was arrested almost 18 months ago after the fan claimed he sent her explicit Snapchat and text messages

A professional footballer accused of bullying a besotted 14-year old girl into having a sexual liaison with him in his car broke down and wept as he was cleared by a jury of all wrongdoing today.

Jack Tuohy, 20, was arrested almost 18 months ago after the fan claimed he sent her explicit Snapchat and text messages when she developed a crush on him following a school sports day event at his League One club Oldham Athletic.

But it emerged that the teenage girl had posted a false date of birth on her Facebook page suggesting she was 17 and 'pouted' in a photo to make it appear as if she was older than she was.

And Tuohy was found not guilty by a jury of sexual activity with a child, three counts of inciting a girl to engage in sexual activity and meeting a girl under 16 years of age following grooming.

The girl had told how Tuohy pressured her over a five month period into meeting up for sex by encouraging her to send him naked pictures including photos of her exposed breasts.

As the jury returned their verdicts, Tuohy carried on sobbing and shaking while his family wept in the public gallery. He then hugged his father Shaun (above) outside

The girl said Tuohy (pictured with his father Shaun) pressured her over a five month period into meeting up for sex by encouraging her to send him naked pictures

Tuohy stands next to his mother Joanne after leaving Minshull Street Crown Court today

Eventually in October 2015 she dressed up in her Manchester City shirt and met the midfielder in his Seat Ibiza car outside a pub before they went to a secluded area when the girl performed a sex act on him whilst he fondled her.

Police were called in after her parents reported her missing and arrested Tuohy, then 19, after examining her iPad. He later insisted he thought she was 16.

The girl admitted she wanted to be Tuohy's girlfriend - but not have sex with him.

Since his arrest Tuohy was suspended from his club where he was paid £250 a week and now earns £100 a week with non-league Shaw Lane in Barnsley, South Yorkshire. He claimed he agreed to meet the girl following a fallout with his girlfriend.

Tuohy, pictured with his girlfriend Kay Higgins, has seen his life 'put on hold for the last 18 months, during which he has been under the most serious stress'

Since his arrest Tuohy was suspended from his club where he was paid £250 a week and now earns £100 a week with non-league Shaw Lane in Barnsley, South Yorkshire

As the jury returned their verdicts at Minshull Street Crown Court in Manchester, Tuohy, from Shaw, held his head in his hands, and carried on sobbing and shaking while his family wept in the public gallery. He then hugged relatives outside.

Messages exchanged between Tuohy and girl Tuohy: 'We will go somewhere I know and then I'm going to take you back. Stop messing me around you coming or not. Can't I just drive to near your house? Surely you know one place where no one goes. Girl: 'No I'm not allowed I will get grounded. I don't really meet lads in cars I'm not sure. I've met you before.' Tuohy: 'Are you coming or not?' Girl: 'This is my only chance isn't it? I don't want to do stuff if we just met.' Tuohy: 'Wow so you're all talk wow. Don't speak to me again you're all talk.' Girl: 'What would you want to do. I would do some stuff.' Tuohy: 'Best not tell one person. I’ll wear something easy to get into like joggers haha. You better not back out. Just be confident.' Advertisement

Family lawyer Jeremy Moore said after the case: 'Jack always maintained his innocence of these very serious allegations and is thrilled that the jury came to the only sensible verdict on this case.

'His life had been put on hold for the last 18 months, during which he has been under the most serious stress. The family would now ask that they be left alone so Jack can pursue his very promising professional career.

'The family would like to thank the team at Carter Moore solicitors and Paul Hodgkinson for their amazing work in proving Jack's innocence'.

Paul Hodgkinson, defending, told the court the Crown's portrayal of his client as a 'manipulative' individual who preyed on a 'starstruck' besotted schoolgirl was 'nonsense'.

He said Tuohy was 'not some over-privileged, arrogant overpaid footballer driving around in his Lamborghini' but someone who had played football every spare second of his life and had been with Oldham Athletic since the age of 13.

He said Tuohy, who had attracted interest from the Republic of Ireland national team, was not 'a party animal' but someone on modest wages at Oldham, when the alleged offences were said to have taken place, who had to observe 10pm curfews.

Tuohy, pictured with his brother Ben in his Oldham Athletic shirt at their Boundary Park ground

Tuohy (right) hugs his family outside Minshull Street Crown Court in Manchester this morning

Tuohy - a former apprentice in Oldham Athletic's 'centre of excellence' - had made his first appearance for the senior team in an FA Cup first found clash with Leyton Orient in November 2014.

How was he cleared? Tuohy was cleared of two counts of engaging in sexual activity with a child, two counts of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and one count of meeting with a child following sexual grooming. Section nine of the Sexual Offences Act 2003, which covers sexual activity with a child, says there is an offence if the attacker 'does not reasonably believe' that the child is 16 or over. The same defence on age – which only applies in the child is 13 to 15 - is mentioned in section ten, which covers the crime of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity. During the trial it emerged the 14-year-old girl had posted a false date of birth on her Facebook page suggesting she was 17 and 'pouted' in a photo to make it appear as if she was older than she was. Tuohy's lawyers also suggested the girl initiated contact with him and that she had known him for ‘some considerable time’ and had ‘liked’ photographs he had posted on social media. She admitted she wanted to be Tuohy’s girlfriend - but not have sex with him. Advertisement

He secured a two year contract with a one year extension at the club and he met the girl during a sports tournament in May 2015 at his club's Boundary Park stadium in Oldham, where he was handing out medals.

The pair later swapped messages which were read to the court.

Tuohy wrote: 'We will go somewhere I know and then I'm going to take you back. Stop messing me around you coming or not. Can't I just drive to near your house? Surely you know one place where no one goes.

Girl: 'No I'm not allowed I will get grounded. I don't really meet lads in cars I'm not sure. I've met you before.'

Tuohy: 'Are you coming or not?'

Girl: 'This is my only chance isn't it? I don't want to do stuff if we just met.'

In her video interview with police the girl said: 'I wanted to be just friends. Maybe more when I'm older like the right age but not now.

'He said "You're a good kisser, aren't you". He asked how old I was. He knew he was doing wrong but he didn't think he would be caught.'

But Tuohy told the jury: 'It was the way she spoke to me and how mature she was. She spoke flirty to me and said I was gorgeous and that. I wasn't bullying her.

'I thought she was 16. I wasn't forcing her. After I was arrested I threw up in the cell because I was scared. I had to moved cells.

'The police came and let me into the fresh air. I'm quite claustrophobic so I was panicking. I was moved to one cell that had a big window looking into the police desk. I was by myself in the cell, shaking I couldn't think straight.'