Soldier acquitted of rape ordered to pay complainer £100,000 in civil case after he fails to defend claim
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A soldier acquitted of rape who was sued by the complainer has been ordered to pay her £100,000 after he failed to defend the claim.
Sean Diamond, 24, stood trial accused of raping a woman while she slept in a flat in Dundee in 2015.
A jury returned a verdict of not proven at the High Court in Edinburgh in October.
The pursuer raised a civil action for damages which has been granted by Dundee Sheriff Court after Mr Diamond failed to defend the claim.
He said this was an oversight and his lawyers, Balfour and Manson, will now make an application to recall the decree.
The pursuer told BBC Scotland: “For me, it was absolutely heartbreaking, gut-wrenching, the worst thing I could ever have imagined.
“I felt like the worst thing had already happened and then to hear the not proven verdict just multiplied what had already happened to an even more extreme level.
“I’m somebody that’s normally very upbeat - a bubbly, happy person and I became almost a prisoner in my own head.
“Over time I’ve been able to repair myself and move forward. However, it has been a very turbulent journey.”
She added: “For me it’s not about the money, nothing’s ever going to make that situation go away.”
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