Footballer guilty over indecent child image

Cliftonville striker Jay Donnelly, 23, pleaded guilty to the charge last week, the Northern Ireland Courts Service confirmed.

A separate count of taking or making an indecent photograph was withdrawn.

Donnelly, of Ardilea Drive in the Ardoyne area of Belfast, is now due to be sentenced at the city’s magistrates’ court in January.

The case against him related to a date unknown between June and October 2016

Donnelly has continued to appear for Cliftonville since the allegations emerged.

The Courts Service confirmed he was convicted of only one charge – distributing or showing an indecent image of a child.

It followed a guilty plea entered last Friday.

Pre-sentence reports have been ordered before Donnelly is expected back in court early in the new year.

The News Letter has contacted Cliftonville FC for comment.