Carlisle United loanee Jack Diamond says he was mocked by fans of opponents Leyton Orient about the rape charge from which he was recently cleared.

The Sunderland winger, in an interview with Piers Morgan, says the incident happened after he was substituted with injury during his full United debut last weekend.

Diamond made the claim in a wide-ranging interview about the charges of rape and sexual assault which he successfully fought in a trial.

The 24-year-old suffered an ankle injury in the 20th minute at the Gaughan Group Stadium and says he heard the chants as he walked past sections of the home support on his way around the pitch.

“I’ve come off injured, at that point I was annoyed anyway, but then I had to walk around the whole pitch,” he said.

“I got the chants straight away as I was walking past them.”

Asked by Morgan what the chants were, Diamond replied: “She said no, Diamond, she said no.”

Diamond said he was “kind of expecting” to come in for such comments from opposition fans.

The News & Star has approached Orient for comment.

Diamond appeared on Morgan’s Piers Morgan Uncensored show on Talk TV which was broadcast live on Thursday night (watch the interview below)

It saw the winger speak in detail for the first time about the ordeal of being charged with rape and the months that followed before a jury took just seven minutes to conclude that he was not guilty.

He said he was “glad” that it was over but said the fact he had endured what he had meant it was not the “relief” people might assume.

Diamond explained to Morgan how he had met his accuser on the dating app Tinder when he was 19.

On the night which resulted in the rape accusation, he said there was some “kissing and touching” that was entirely consensual, but the woman took a “strop” when Diamond declined sex.

She then left 30 minutes later, he said – and the next morning he was visited by police to say an accusation had been made against him.

He said he was arrested for digital penetration and “didn’t have a clue” what this meant.

Diamond added he was “in shock” and “disbelief” as he was taken to police cells, before being told by a barrister what was happening.

He said the woman in question had told a friend that Diamond had “tried to force himself on me – or something along those lines” – adding that the woman’s father had then “hit the roof” after being told.

He said the woman had not wanted her father to call the police but Diamond said, “as a father, that’s the first thing you would do.”

Diamond said he heard little more for a year, as he continued his career, but after a midweek shopping trip with his mother received a call from the solicitor who explained he was being accused of rape and digital penetration.

He said: "[At that point] football wasn’t in my head, friends, family… I thought this is going to change everything,” adding that he feared this could end his career.

News and Star: Diamond, pictured with Blues physio Chris Brunskill after suffering an injury at OrientDiamond, pictured with Blues physio Chris Brunskill after suffering an injury at Orient (Image: Richard Parkes)

Diamond said reading the headlines that followed his charge was “scary” and he felt “defenceless” not being able to respond to every media story about the case.

He said he did not leave his home for “a week or two”, before he was suspended by Sunderland – adding that it took another year for the charges to be made.

He also said he feared repercussions when his name and address were made public after the charges. “My first thought was that someone’s going to come to the house, someone’s going to do something.”

Diamond went on to say that, after a five-day trial, when he heard both not guilty verdicts “the feeling of relief lasted about two minutes.”

He said it felt “ridiculous” that it had taken just seven minutes to clear his name given all the torment he had gone through. Diamond said he, his family and even his barrister, Gareth Darbyshire, cried at the verdict.

Morgan suggested Diamond had been through “hell” and said the footballer would be “forever associated” with the case despite being cleared.

Diamond suggested “something positive” can come out of the ordeal, in how he has had to be mentally strong, and how he can use it to “fuel me”.

Morgan asked Diamond about the issue of anonymity granted to rape accusers in contrast to how the accused is named.

“I think both sides should definitely be anonymous [until a point of conviction],” the United player added.

Asked about his feelings towards his accuser, Diamond said: “I wouldn’t say it’s hatred – I’m embarrassed for her.”

He said he had not had a relationship since he was charged and named.

Morgan said: “I think it’s awful what happened to you… but whatever doesn’t break you makes you stronger. I wish you all the best.”

Carlisle, upon signing Diamond last month, said they would offer the player “ongoing support” on his return to football, and that offering him the chance to play again was “the right thing to do”.

The Blues have made no further comment following Diamond's remarks about the Orient game.