The victim of football paedophile Adam Johnson faces fresh agony after online trolls identified her.
A police probe is understood to have been launched just hours after the disgraced former England and Sunderland star was freed from HMP Moorland in the early hours of Friday.
The girl – 15 when Johnson groomed and sexually assaulted her – was targeted with offensive messages.
At the time of the shamed player’s arrest in March 2015, a judge warned no details of his victim should ever be made public as she is entitled to lifelong anonymity.
Last night, police confirmed they were probing two social media accounts within hours of his release from the jail near Doncaster, South Yorkshire, and said they “will take action” against anyone targeting the girl.
Johnson’s victim has been publicly named previously, leading to officers serving five people with harassment orders. Some vile trolls even claimed she had lied about her ordeal.
There are now fears they could start circulating her name again amid the publicity surrounding Johnson’s release.
In a statement issued after the pervert was jailed, his victim told of the impact of the online abuse.
She said: “The gossip on social media and hearing all the horrible names that people have been calling me has been devastating to me, my friends and my family.
“People were lying about me and what I had said. Him being found guilty shows I was telling the truth.”
Father-of-one Johnson, 31, was released after serving half of a six-year sentence for child sex offences.
His sister Faye was pictured buying “welcome home” balloons for a party in the days before his release.
It is believed he was reunited with his daughter Ayla, four, during the family celebration at his home in County Durham.
Johnson was jailed in March 2016 for kissing and touching the young Sunderland fan.
Johnson’s trial heard he started communicating with his victim in late 2014, while then-partner Stacey Flounders was pregnant.
An offence of sexual communication with a child was introduced in April 2017, after a campaign by the NSPCC.
Perverts targeting kids online now face two years and go on the sex offenders’ register.
The NSPCC’s Almudena Lara said: “People like Johnson can no longer get away with sending children sexual messages.”
