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Jack Diamond opens up to Piers Morgan on being cleared of rape and sexual assault

Jack Diamond opens up to Piers Morgan in an interview on being cleared of rape and sexual assault while also talking about abuse from fans.

On the 30th of March 2023, Diamond faced charges of rape and sexual assault in connection with an incident that was said to have occurred in Washington, Tyne and Wear in May 2022.

As a result, Lincoln City terminated his loan agreement and his parent club, Sunderland, suspended him.

In June 2023, Diamond appeared in court and pleaded not guilty to the sexual assault charges. During the trial in January 2024, he was accused of rape, with the alleged victim claiming that she had gone to Diamond’s house for “cuddles” when he allegedly assaulted her.

Diamond, on the other hand, stated that the victim had initiated sexual activity.

In January 2024, Diamond was acquitted of the rape charges with Sunderland confirming they lifted Diamond’s suspension, allowing him to resume his footballing activities.

In January 2024, Diamond joined League One club Carlisle United on loan for the remainder of the season. However, during his first game back, he faced a grim chant from Leyton Orient fans.

You can watch the video, in full, by clicking HERE.

Piers: Professional footballer Jack Diamond was found not guilty of rape last month after a harrowing a 2-year ordeal that derailed his promising career and nearly ruined his life the 23-year-old thought he could resume things and start his career ref fresh as an innocent man but it’s not turning out to be quite that straightforward I sat down with Jack earlier for exclusive one-on-one interview his first one he’s given

Piers: Well Jack Diamond thank you for coming down to do this interview it’s the first interview you’ve done since you were cleared you’re still a professional footballer but you’ve had to live for years now with the smear of being an accused rapist I mean first of all how do you feel that it’s over

Jack: Yeah I’m obviously glad that it’s over but still had to endure what I had to endure so I mean I’m obviously glad that I can talk about it now but it’s not it’s not a breath of relief like everyone thinks it will be

Piers: Take me back to to really what happened here you connect with this woman on Tinder, which is for those who don’t know it’s a dating app it’s very popular and you start seeing each other, how would you categorise a relationship

Jack: Yeah like as we started obviously I was young this is 2 years ago as well so

Piers: How old were you at the time

Jack: I was 19 when I first met her

Piers: How old was she

Jack: Was 19 as well

Piers: And you had a sexual relationship for I think a year right yeah

Jack: Yeah

Piers: How often would you see each other

Jack: Every two three weeks casual nothing like planned wasn’t too serious

Piers: But was there anything in that period that gave you alarm bells or was it perfectly normal

Jack: I think at the end there was a bit of alarm bell there was an incident that happened where maybe sh that should like me a bit more than I liked her and wanted something a bit more serious um so that’s when I kind of disconnected for a while but that was like the first time I kind of came into contact with her and started speaking her you know obviously have a relationship

Piers: Let’s get then to the night that she says that you raped her it’s you’ve now been cleared of all uh all charges obviously what happened

Jack: Well it was nothing out the ordinary at all that night the only thing that didn’t obviously happen was was one of the only times we didn’t have sex

Piers: Had you gone out that night or

Jack: I’d been out to see cuz my season had finished so I went to see a few friends um just locally and then I got back at about 10 half 10 and then as I usually would or she would like on a Saturday night or whatever um would give each other a text see what she was doing and then she end up coming around to my place at about 20 minutes after I called her so

Piers: And what happened well she just came in um just let herself in because obviously I’ve been seen her for so long now was very informal so she just came and let herself in came upstairs and then she’s undressed and got on my bed and then just normal just chatting a little bit and then start kissing touching everything like this which he says was all consensual and then I’ve like initiated initiated like doing stuff she’s also done that just like um like touching and stuff like that and then she’s basically got on top of us to try and initiate sex and I’ve said I don’t want to have sex basically

Jack: You weren’t in the mood

Piers: I wasn’t I wasn’t in the mood like I just just got home was very late so then she just turned over in kind of like a strop as I thought but obviously I kind of brush it off as like oh she just in a bit of a huff so then I have initiated sex back and we’re just kissing again and she’s just said I think the moment’s gone and I was like ‘right okay no problem’, got off and then about 30 minutes later she just got up and left and said she’s went do you want you want us to post the key through the letter box and lock the door and everything and I was like ‘yeah thanks no problem’

Piers: So you felt this was the end

Jack: Yeah I was just like I thought she was just in a bit of a huff

Piers: She left

Jack: Yeah

Piers: And she left the keys in the house through the letter box

Jack: Locked the door put the keys through

Piers: And she’s gone

Jack: Yeah and then what’s the next you hear

Piers: About half 8 in the morning and then obviously the police came the door to your house yeah and I didn’t really know what to say and they’re like ‘hi Jack know here you are come we come in’ I’m like ‘yeah fine’ and I still didn’t have a clue just like ‘an incident happened with a girl last night’ you know and I was like just in shock because obviously I knew exactly what went on that night

Piers: You’re a professional footballer at 19 you you’re living your dream

Jack: Yeah

Piers: Earning great money playing the game you love everything going well for you and then suddenly you’re in a prison cell

Jack: Yeah

Piers: And you’re being accused of assaulting this girl

Jack: Yeah

Piers: You don’t know quite the full scale of the charges at that stage but you in those hours what is going through your head

Jack: Just disbelief and obviously they said was it was digital penetration that’s what they said I was going to arrested for um and I didn’t know what that was you know what I mean I was 20, 19, 20, 21 at the time I didn’t have a clue I didn’t have a clue what it was so I’m saying what’s this what does that mean then they’re briefly telling us um saying then need swap my fingers and I’m thinking what the hell so then they took us to the the cells and I’m just sat there thinking I don’t know what I think that was the scariest thing because I didn’t know what what had been said what she said, because I’m sitting there thinking if I can get arrested for something that I don’t even know what’s what’s being said I just knew whatever is going to be said is going to be false

Piers: Did you have a lawyer

Jack: Yeah I got just a barrister that the called and when he came then he kind of like told us everything that happened and uh she hadn’t give a statement so I was like which she what you mean she’s not give a statement, so what had happened is she basically said a passing comment to our mate like saying know he tried to force himself on his or something along them lines and then I basically told her father and our dad’s hit the roof as you would um and like it’s unbelievable

Piers: Spiralled out of control

Jack: And then at that point well even in the tape just to say oh well she doesn’t want to bring the police she say her dad no no don’t call the police and everything but as a father as you word that’s the first thing you do is call the police

Piers: What about your family how did they react

Jack: Oh well it was tough because my family thought I was in the lead they thought I was out and then my mum’s text my phone obviously asking us uh where you how are you doing obviously she’s not heard from us for like six, seven hours um so then I told her I was like I’m just got out police station

Piers: She must have been horrified

Jack: Yeah I think she just hung the phone

Piers: So when was the moment you realised you were going to be charged

Jack: So I didn’t hear anything for about a year and then kind of just thought oh it’s went away like ridiculous I went on loan but then I’ve kind of just forgot about it slowly thinking all it’s went away and then I think I’d came home midweek for some reason I think I was shopping with my mum at the time and then I got the call off the solicitor who I obviously was with last time and I’ve not heard for a year so I was thinking oh my God like my heart just sunk so I’ve answered the phone and I just went listen out with my parents at the moment can I call you when I return home he’s like yeah and then I’m just obviously praying for the best cuz I know that this is obviously going to be an answer so I’ve dropped my mum back off because I was like good or bad news I don’t want to be there when I don’t want her to be there when I here so um I went back to my house and then rang him back uh and he just said I think you might want to sit down um you’ve been charged of rape and digital penetration and obviously that was the first time I’d even heard about the rape

Piers: So what did that word do to you

Jack: I just couldn’t understand it it was just like at that point it was just like everything’s done um like football wasn’t in my head, like friends weren’t… it was just like my family like I was just thinking this is going to change everything of course so like at that point I just thought well football is never happening do you know what I mean that’s it

Piers: The end of your career

Piers: When did your name get out in relation to that charge

Jack: Two days later two no a day later

Piers: And was all the papers

Jack: Yeah

Piers: And that when you’re named next to the word rape is about as bad as it can get for you right you’re a young man and this is what everyone is reading about you

Jack: Yeah

Piers: What was that like to have to read headlines about yourself like that

Jack: It was scary because obviously I knew what what had went on what had happened and then I’m sat there kind of defenceless can’t say listen I didn’t do this you know what I mean I can’t just pop up everywhere and go every new story I’m innocent I’m innocent because you’re not really allowed to you’re just

Piers: What was the reaction from people in the streets and stuff

Jack: I didn’t really leave the house for about a week or two I’d went cuz I was at home at the time I live by myself the moved my friend the club and moved my friend out the house

Piers: They suspended you right

Jack: Yeah so a day later I got suspended

Piers: How long was it until the trial

Jack: A year

Piers: So you basically this is 2 years of your life you’ve had to live with this

Jack: Obviously when the police released the statement they’ve named us they’ve put me addressing it big picture of me with man rapes well the name just said Jack Diamond with and then I’m reading that and I’m thinking how can they do this do you know what I mean

Piers: And she remains anonymous

Jack: Yeah

Piers: To this day

Jack: I mean you can’t say who it is the police are supposed to be there to protect us though putting that next to my name with me addressing first thing I’m thinking is someone’s going to come to my house or someone’s going to try and do something

Piers: Did you get any bad incidents like that

Jack: No

Piers: But like you’re thinking about it all the time

Jack: Think about it

Piers: Eventually at the end of the the trial how long did it last the trial it was about five days I believe and at the end of it you had a jury yeah and you’re looking at these 12 people and they’re going to decide the rest of your life and when they give the verdict what is that feeling like when you’re waiting as you see them about to deliver the verdict

Jack: Well it was a bit crazy because we thought it was going to be a day cuz it was only about an hour left of the the actual court time so we’ve went to the shop to be like oh it’s probably going to be another day so I’m thinking I’m have to wait another day for all this um and then I think we’ve literally got the bottom of the stairs and my dad’s texted saying the clerk’s looking for you so like my barrister is panicking thinking oh this is it they’ve like they can’t have done it this quick and then came in and I was just looking forward I didn’t want to look at them didn’t want to look at anyone and obviously because it was two counts I heard the first not guilty and then I heard the second and then yeah it just it was crazy but the feeling of like relief lasted I would say about two minutes

Piers: Really?

Jack: Yeah and then because then after I just think all of this for seven minutes all of this for this to be this quick I was like how ridiculous

Piers: Were you emotional in that

Jack: Yeah

Piers: Cried

Jack: Yeah I think my whole family did my barrister cried

Piers: Your barrister cried, really?

Jack: Yeah

Piers: That’s unusual

Jack: Yeah he worked quite close he saw us this whole time

Piers: Your barrister cried

Jack: Yeah because when I came out of when I first got charged I went away for a bit he looked after us all this time and kind of prepped us did had a real bond

Piers: How was your mum when he got cleared

Jack: Yeah she was just in tears my sister and me Dad every every single person you know what I mean and I think that was the the hardest thing as well because obviously I told her this whole time I was like I was putting on trying to be confident it’s going to be all right it’s going to be all right more for my family because I think if they’ve saw me struggling uh and upset but I think it was just I was happy for them as well

Piers: How long did the jury take to do deliberate seven minutes

Jack: Seven minutes

Piers: Yeah so you went through over two years of hell and it took a jury just seven minutes to clear you which is an emphatic repudiation of what this woman had been claiming they just didn’t believe what she was saying but you were dragged through this hell for so long and even as you sit here now a cleared man you know for the rest of your life it’ll have Jack Diamond and the word rape and you’ll be forever associated with that, when you play football you’re going to play well I don’t know what’s been happening what’s been happening with the opposition fans do they hurl abuse at you?

Jack: It did the other day I came off came off injured tried to walk past the away

Piers: What was your first game back

Jack: Yeah so I got…

Piers: Who were you playing, you were playing for Carlisle against..

Jack: Yeah Leyton Orient

Piers: And what happened

Jack: Well I’ve came off injured and I was obviously at that point I was annoyed anyways but then I’ve had to walk around the whole pitch cuz you can’t just walk off for quickness and obviously I got the chance straight away as I’m walking past them and I was just thinking…

Piers: What was the chants?

Jack: ‘She said no Diamond, she said no’

Piers: Really

Jack: Yeah but I was I’m kind of expecting this

Piers: It’s still horrible

Jack: Yeah

Piers: And you probably going to get that from away fans everywhere, how are you going to deal with that mentally

Jack: I think just with everything this whole time it’s just been something positive will come out of it or there’s something I can do to either use it to fight fuelers just trying not to react do you know what I mean I think this whole time has been mentally like strong for us because I’ve obviously had paper’s name is basically called as the worst thing in the world my family’s being obviously associate like I’ve not just been the one struggling through it like they took a few weeks off work because they were embarrassed

Piers: Right everybody of course your case is similar to a guy interview called Jordan Trengove he was very young a complete fantasist invented story similar about him um and it ruined his life certainly for a long time um and it sparks again this whole debate as we were saying about the anonymity issue how do you feel I mean do you feel after what you’ve been through and indeed what Jord went through do do you think that it’s unfair that only the man who’s accused gets named do you think it would be right to change the law so that if you bring an allegation of rape both sides get named or both sides are anonymous which do you think would be fair

Jack: I think both sides should definitely be an anonymous

Piers: Until a point of conviction of course because if you had been if the law did that the papers couldn’t have mentioned your name nobody would have known it was you, you would have been acquitted and no one would have known anything about it and you would sit here you wouldn’t be sitting here you wouldn’t need to be cus no one would know it was you

Jack: Yeah of course and I think I probably wouldn’t be suspended either

Piers: What are your feelings towards the the girl who made these allegations against you

Jack: I wouldn’t say it’s hatred I think it’s I’m embarrassed for her

Piers: Do you think it all got out of control that once her father found out and reacted the way he did and the police got involved she felt she just couldn’t go back on it

Jack: Yeah well the can’t like the police push it so much CPS push it so much to try and get these conviction rates the one higher

Piers: How’s it affected you with other girls now I mean have you’ve been able to have a relationship since

Jack: No well obviously because this has been going on two years as well obviously it was known for a year but then even when it wasn’t known I wasn’t publicly

Piers: Have you had any sexual relationship at all since

Jack: No

Piers: And how long about

Jack: A year now since it’s been going on since obviously I’ve been named I’m not…

Piers: Since you were charged and named

Jack: Yeah

Piers: So a young man and you just don’t want to take the the chance, that’s terrible

Jack: It’s crazy because even my friends obviously my close friends now when I tell them how ridiculous and how scary it can actually be because it can be one word against the other and then you go on to court

Piers: Jack it’s good to meet you and thank you for being so honest with the interview I think it’s awful what happened to you I think it is something that you need to try and put it behind you now if you can it’s very difficult I know that you’ll be reminded of it every match you play by I’m sure opposition fans but in a way I think what you said about having it fuel you may make you an even better player definitely you never know what doesn’t break you makes you stronger as they’re saying right and I want to wish you all the very best thank you very unless you play Arsenal and in that eventuality I want you to lose no otherwise I hope you win cheers good luck to you

Twitter users reacted as Jack Diamond opens up to Piers Morgan on being cleared of rape and sexual assault…

@JoshYoungFarmer: You’ve got your best years to come playing football Jack, the mighty Cumbrians will always stick by you💙

@Agentmackem: Piers in the past i have disagreed with some of what you have said and i stand by most of it. But i really want to thank you for giving Jack a chance to tell his side of the story. The sheer hell he has gone through the last two years over blatant lies is heartbreaking. Thanks.

@JamieDowley: Blame the CPS this should never have come to court but they always prosecute in these type of cases

@caleb11488: Poor lad 🔴⚪️🔴⚪️

@ShaunGunner2: Horrific experience for the boy. Hopefully he bounces back and we see him at his best. There was a Very good player in him before this.

@bradrobson2605: Hope he can get his career back on track.

@KyleTalbot7: Massively feel for him, quality player as well! Will effect him mentally for life

@jill71roberts: She should be named and shamed

@DohertyGraham89: Anyone who makes false claims of being raped should be named and shame and jailed

@oggers10: Fuck me thats disgusting like, but @officialcufc i want to know why nothings been mentioned about this from Saturday, you were all quick to act when the racist comments and the incident with port vale keeper, but not our own player getting abused by Orient fans. Shocking

@DavidJav9954: I just caught the end of his interview and the debate afterwards. Unbelievable like, I’m pleased he’s campaigning it. Seems like a genuine lad who’s still upset by it. Proper hate Morgan but he’s right on this one for a change

@PhilipJamesHar2: Not a big fan of Piers but glad he’s given him a platform to tell his story. Not only has she screwed up his life but she’s also made it harder for genuine rape victims to be believed.

@DCFC_Jim7: So sad to see. Was starting to get the recognition he deserved playing well for a couple of seasons and that woman’s ruined his life. She needs serious charges

@mackem_stav: Once again, another fantastic interview by @piersmorgan with #JackDiamond, who was falsely accused of rape and then #acquitted in 7 minutes by a jury. Unfortunately that acquittal took 2 years from when he was accused! Is he still @SunderlandAFC? #SAFC #InnocentUntilProvenGuilty

@Orient_Fan: Interesting from Jack Diamond (Carlisle player), making reference to Orient fans chanting him on Saturday. #LOFC

@harrydays4: False accusations ruin lives. Glad he’s getting the platform to speak out about this subject. It’s also terrible for genuine victims who may not want to speak out in fear of not being believed. Wish the lad nothing but the best moving forward but this is a real problem man.

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