SAVED BY THE BELL - DIAMOND: 'TV CHIEFS PAID OFF LOPEZ RAPE ACCUSER'

DIAMOND: 'TV CHIEFS PAID OFF LOPEZ RAPE ACCUSER'

Former SAVED BY THE BELL actor DUSTIN DIAMOND has accused TV bosses of paying off a girl who alleged his co-star MARIO LOPEZ date-raped her in 1993.
Diamond, who played geeky Samuel 'Screech' Powers in the hit '90s show, has made a number of shocking revelations about activities behind the scenes of the high school drama in his new memoir Behind The Bell.
In one chapter, titled 'A.C. Makes the Ladies Scream', Diamond claims Lopez was a womaniser who regularly used his fame as character A.C. Slater to take advantage of female fans.
He writes, "(Lopez) hit on every co-star, every extra, every production assistant and every fan he found himself sitting next to."
Lopez was at the centre of a date-rape scandal in 1993, when a teenage girl accused him of luring her back to his house and forcing himself on her.
A police investigation was launched but the TV hunk, who denied the claims, was never arrested and no charges were filed against him.
Diamond alleges the young girl only chose not to press charges after NBC network chiefs paid her $50,000 (£33,330) to "keep her mouth shut".
But the 32 year old insists he was not surprised when the date-rape case came to light, admitting, "He didn't take no for an answer."
Representatives for NBC and Lopez have refused to comment on Diamond's claims.