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    Sunderland star Jack Diamond appears in court charged with rape and sexual assault

    SUNDERLAND star Jack Diamond has today appeared in court charged with rape and sexual assault.The 23-year-old is accused of attacking a woman on two separate occasions at a home in Tyne and Wear.
    Jack Diamond, pictured in court previously, denied sexual assaultCredit: NCJMedia
    Diamond has been suspended from SunderlandCredit: Getty
    Diamond appeared at Newcastle Crown Court today where he denied one count of sexual assault.
    The winger did not enter a plea to the one count of rape he is also charged with.
    A provisional trial date was set for January 2, 2024, with Diamond released on bail.
    The alleged offences are said to have taken place between May 6 and May 9 last year.
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    Diamond was on loan at League One club Lincoln City, who have since terminated his contract, when he was charged.
    The forward has also been suspended from Sunderland while the criminal case continues.
    A spokesperson said: “Sunderland AFC has been notified that criminal charges have been brought against Jack Diamond by the Crown Prosecution Service.
    “The player has been suspended with immediate effect, pending the outcome of the judicial process, and his loan agreement at Lincoln City Football Club has also been terminated.
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    “As this matter is subject to a legal process, the club will not be making any further statement at this time.”
    Diamond made 45 appearances for Sunderland including when they won the Papa John’s Trophy at Wembley in 2021.
    He scored eight times in 36 matches for League One club Lincoln last season.
    His rep previously released a statement, saying: “Jack Diamond strenuously denies the allegations which have been made against him.
    “Jack is looking forward to clearing his name in court.”
    Diamond his contract terminated at Lincoln where he was on loanCredit: Getty More

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    Footie fan on the run for 20 years over brutal racist attack brought to justice

    A FOOTBALL fan on the run for 20 years over a racist attack has finally been brought to justice.Gordon Colquhoun, 39, battered Dale Clark after Celtic beat Liverpool 3-1 in the 2003 Uefa Cup quarter-finals.
    Football fan Gordon Colquhoun has been brought to justice after 20 years on the run over a racist attackCredit: Supplied
    He left the victim with a split lip and black eye in the attack in Bracknell, Berks.
    Colquhoun asked Mr Clark “are you English” before laying into him with a friend.
    Prosecutor Sarita Basra said: “An ambulance was called but just after the assault they continued to shout abuse.”
    Colquhoun admitted his guilt to the police.
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    But he evaded justice by going into hiding in Scotland in 2004.
    Reading Crown Court heard his co-defendant had been convicted over the racially-aggravated assault soon after the attack.
    Although the race-hate assault case was abandoned, he has now been given 21 days behind bars for failing to surrender.
    Passing sentence at Reading crown court, Judge Sarah Campbell said: “You are now a grown man and have had nearly 20 years in effect to resolve the situation but you have chosen not to do so.
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    “You buried your head in the sand.” More

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    Five men who streamed Premier League football games through £10-a-month subscriptions are JAILED

    FIVE fraudsters who charged football fans £10-a-month for an illegal Premier League streaming service have been jailed.Flawless TV raked in £7.2million from over 50,000 subscribers, offering matches not available on UK TV.
    Ring leader Mark Gould – who netted a staggering £1.7million from the operation – was discovered among piles of Doritos packets when arrestedCredit: premier league
    Up to 30 set-top boxes running streams were found at Gould’s South London addressCredit: premier league
    Flawless TV intercepted football feeds from abroad and delivered them to paying subscribersCredit: News Group Nrewspapers Ltd
    It undercut the likes of Sky Sports by bypassing a Uefa-imposed “blackout” that stops the broadcast of most 3pm kick-offs on Saturdays, which encourages fans to go to games.
    Feeds were intercepted from broadcasters in Australia, the UK, US, Canada and Qatar and delivered a few seconds later to subscribers.
    The crooked service – which also offered film and tv – ran between 2016 and 2021 and even had its own streaming app.
    Flawless went to great lengths to avoid detection, even developing software to blur a unique code Sky adds to stop illegal streamers.
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    When Premier League investigators raided the homes Flawless’s masterminds, they seized computer equipment and documents detailing the operation.
    The group’s “prime mover” Mark Gould netted a staggering £1.7 million from the operation.
    He was found in pyjamas surrounded by piles of Doritos packets and Domino’s pizza dips when he was cuffed at his riverside flat in Greenwich, South London.
    Doug Love, a Trading-standards investigator who led the raid, said up to 30 set-top boxes running streams were found at the address.
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    At Derby Crown Court, Gould, 36, was sentenced to 11 years in prison following a rare private prosecution by the Premier League.
    Co-defendants Steven Gordon, Peter Jolley, William Brown and Christopher Felvus were all convicted of conspiracy to defraud, money laundering and contempt of court.
    Felvus, 36, was also found guilty of voyeurism and possessing indecent images of children.
    The four men were sentenced to between three and more than five years.
    A sixth gang member, Zak Smith, failed to appear at court for sentencing and a warrant has been issued for his arrest, the Premier League said.
    The Intellectual Property Office estimates nearly four million people in the UK used an illegal source to watch live sport last year. More

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    British boxing legend quizzed by cops after ex-pal’s £80k car’s tyres were slashed

    BOXING legend Carl Froch has been quizzed after tyres on an ex-pal’s £80,000 car were slashed.The former unified super-middleweight world champ was snapped arriving at a police station for questioning.
    Carl Froch has been quizzed after tyres on an ex-pal’s £80,000 car were slashedCredit: Pinnacle
    The former boxer pictured at the police station in NottinghamCredit: Andy Kelvin / Kelvinmedia
    Cops want to know if he was the man who used a knife to pierce the front and rear passenger-side tyres of a Range Rover Sport.
    The vehicle was attacked at 10.30am on May 16 in the car park of the upmarket Nottinghamshire Golf and Country Club in Cotgrave.
    Witnesses are understood to have seen a man on a red £24,000 Ducati Diavel V4 park up and slash the tyres of the 4×4, causing £600 of damage.
    CCTV shows the individual then climb back on board the motorbike and roar off.
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    At no point did the knifeman remove his cycle helmet.
    The Sun understands Froch, 45, accompanied by a lawyer, gave cops a short statement on Sunday evening denying he caused the criminal damage.
    The Nottingham-born dad of two, awarded an MBE, is a keen biker and was pictured on social media earlier this month doing promotional work for Ducati.
    He was said to have been handed a brand new red Ducati to test drive as part of his deal with the motor firm.
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    Froch retired in 2015 after winning 33 of his 35 fights.
    His agent and police were approached for comment. More

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    Shocking moment thug knocks out man as football fans brawl outside stadium after Leicester vs West Ham game

    THIS is the shocking moment that a fan knocks a man out with a brutal head kick as football fans brawl outside a stadium.The horror clip, shared on Twitter, is believed to have been filmed near Leicester City’s King Power Stadium after the club’s 2-1 win against West Ham.
    Footage of a brawl believed to be between Leicester and West Ham fans was posted to social mediaCredit: GruppaOF
    The fight allegedly took place after Leicester City’s relegationCredit: GruppaOF
    One thug caught a downed man with a vicious head kickCredit: GruppaOF
    It shows a crowd of men throwing punches in the road as opposing fans clashed.
    One man appears to have lost his footing as he lies prone on a zebra crossing.
    As he comes to his hands and knees to get up, a brute launches a vicious punt at his skull.
    It finds its mark and the defenseless man is knocked out cold, with his head bouncing off the tarmac with a sickening crack as he crumples.

    Two fellow fans try and lift him to drag him out of harm’s way, but his body hangs lifelessly as his head droops limply forward.
    The fight continues as the men can be heard shouting at each other, thought it is not clear what they are saying.
    The user who posted the video claims to be the account of Gruppa OF and refers to the organisation as the “#1 hooligan group in the world”.
    They caption the post with the date and the phrase: “Leicester win. 1 West Ham KO.”
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    The footage prompted outrage in the comments.
    One social media user wrote: “Attempted murder that – jail time.”
    Another fumed: “Booting a man in the head and then running away. Cowardly.”
    Despite their win, Leicester were relegated to the Championship yesterday as Everton stayed up on a dramatic final day of Premier League action.
    Manager Dean Smith is reportedly set for talks with the club’s board over his future after only being appointed as caretaker coach in April.
    Leicestershire Police and East Midlands Ambulance Service have been contacted for comment.
    The man crumpled after the blow was struckCredit: GruppaOF
    The footage was posted to social media on a page claiming to represent a hooligan groupCredit: GruppaOF
    The unconscious man was dead weight as two others tried to drag him out of harm’s wayCredit: GruppaOF More

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    Shocking moment chaos erupts at Leeds United as fans clash with police following relegation from Premier League

    UGLY scenes explode as Leeds United fans clash with police following their relegation from the Premier League.Punches are thrown and necks grabbed as pathetic fans attack cops and threaten female officers following their 1-4 thumping at home to Tottenham.
    Ugly scenes explode as Leeds United fans clash with police following their relegation from the Premier LeagueCredit: Twitter/liamlufc1993
    Thugs attack police officers in the vile footage following their 1-4 thumping at the hands of SpursCredit: Twitter/liamlufc1993
    In one shocking moment, a man in a green shirt throws a volley of blows at one of dozens of officers preventing the louts from storming the pitch.
    While another shirtless sore loser tries, and fails, to jump the advertising hoardings amid the full-time carnage at Elland Road on Sunday.
    A police officer then appears to lose his feet and tumble to the ground during one scrap with a livid fan.
    Meanwhile a female steward can be seen standing her ground against raging male attackers in unacceptable scenes that kids were caught up in.
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    The vile sight came just minutes after the West Yorkshire side learned they’ll be playing Championship football next year.
    Leeds had enjoyed three years in the Prem but their 31-point run could not save them on the last day of the season.
    Spurs and England captain Harry Kane netted before Pedro Porro doubled Tottenham’s lead.
    Leeds’ Jack Harrison pulled a goal back for his side but just two minutes later Kane netted a second.
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    Lucas Moura – playing in his last Spurs game – scored an injury time screamer, dashing Leeds’ hopes of survival.
    To stay in the Prem, Leeds had to beat Spurs and hope Everton lost to Bournemouth and Leicester lost to West Ham.
    None of this happened and the Yorkshiremen joined Southampton and Leicester to tumble out the top flight in a dramatic final day.
    The Sun has approached West Yorkshire Police for comment. More

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    Thugs try to rob ex-Italy star at gunpoint for luxury watch.. but angry former Roma forward insults them and drives away

    FORMER ITALY star Alessio Cerci reportedly fought off gun-wielding thugs who tried to rob his luxury watch.The incident took place on Wednesday just before midnight.
    Alessio Cerci, left, fended off the thugsCredit: AP:Associated Press
    The 35-year-old was walking back to his car in Portuense, Rome, when he was approached by two bandits.
    They brandished a gun and asked Cerci for his watch, but the former winger realised it was a fake, according to Corriere della Sera.
    So he continued to his car and ended up driving off – but not before launching insults at the pair.
    The former AC Milan and Roma star reportedly avoided injury and he has since provided police with descriptions of the two assailants.
    READ MORE IN FOOTBALL
    The pair are wanted by police, and authorities believe they may have used the fake gun to scare other victims.
    Footballers in Italy have been frequent targets of crime in the last few months, including World Cup winner Angel Di Maria.
    The winger’s Turin mansion was broken into by burglars last October.
    Unconfirmed reports said neighbours had heard shots and a gun had been found near the scene.
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    Milan defender Theo Hernandez had his house burgled not long after, with thieves stealing watches, jewels and cash.
    The left-back was not at his house at the time of the incident but his wife, Zoe Cristofoli, and their six-month-old son were present during the ordeal.
    Once inside the robbers are said to have forced her to open a safe. More

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    Footie boss’ furious ex ‘wrecked club’s bar including causing flood with beer taps & threatening to stab staff’

    A FOOTBALL boss’s ex-girlfriend carried out “an orgy of destruction” in the club’s bar after they broke up.Laura Evenden, 45, went on the rampage at non-league Chatham Town ­following her split from chairman and manager Kevin Hake, a court heard.
    Laura Evenden went on a rampage ­following her split from chairman and manager Kevin HakeCredit: FACEBOOK/Laura Leigh Evenden
    Kevin gave Boris Johnson a team shirt when the then-PM visited last yearCredit: Andrew Parsons / Parsons Media
    Chatham Town will play in the Isthmian Premier next seasonCredit: FACEBOOK/CHATHAM TOWN FC
    Evenden hurled cans of paint on the floor, pushed a TV, lobbed fruit from a fridge and caused a flood by turning on the beer taps.
    She threatened to knife a female staff member if her demand to speak with Mr Hake was ignored.
    And she burst a balloon display and stabbed a club sign, sofa and cushions.
    She and Mr Hake, 47, broke up at the start of last year, a court heard.
    Read More on Kent
    She went to the club late on June 16 with a kitchen knife in her handbag.
    Her £5,300 wrecking spree ended when her mum arrived.
    Evenden, of Chatham, admitted threatening a person with a knife and criminal damage.
    Judge Philip Statman told her she was lucky no one was hurt, adding: “You proceeded on an orgy of destruction.”
    Most read in Football
    He handed Evenden a 12-month jail sentence, suspended for two years, at Maidstone crown court.
    Mr Hake gave Boris Johnson a team shirt when the then-PM visited last year.
    The side will play in the Isthmian Premier, England’s seventh tier, next season after promotion. More