DAVID Goodwillie is a footballer from Stirling who was found to have raped a woman in 2011. The 32-year-old signed for Raith Rovers in a permanent deal until 2024.

In 2016, Goodwillie was taken to court alongside his then-teammate David Robertson by Denise Clair, who said the pair had raped her in a flat in Armadale, West Lothian.

The National: David Goodwillie leaving Glasgow Sheriff Court after assault charge in 2010David Goodwillie leaving Glasgow Sheriff Court after assault charge in 2010

She had been on a night out with Robertson and Goodwillie and was described by a bouncer at the Bathgate bar they had been drinking in as not being in control of herself because she was so drunk.

Lord Iain Armstrong accepted Clair’s version of events after she said she had been taken advantage of by the two. He found they had both raped her and awarded the mother £100,000 in damages at the Court of Session in 2017.

The Crown had previously decided not to prosecute – a decision which left Clair “devastated”.

The National: Court of Session, Edinburgh Court of Session, Edinburgh (Image: Newsquest)

Civil cases are determined on the balance of probabilities rather than proving a case beyond reasonable doubt and there is no requirement for corroboration.

Clair, who waived her legal right to anonymity, was able to prove her case to a judge because Lord Armstrong did not believe Robertson and Goodwillie’s assertion she was no more drunk than anyone else in their party. This was backed up by the testimony of a witness who said Clair could not stand up straight on the night she was raped.

Goodwillie left Plymouth Argyle weeks after the Court of Session case, after reaching an agreement with the English club.

Also on the striker’s rap sheet is a 2008 prosecution for assaulting a man in the Meadowpark Hotel in Bridge of Allan, Stirling. He was fined £250 for punching Craig Reid three times on the head, causing him to fall to the ground, the Daily Record reported at the time.

He was subsequently found to have attacked a man named John Friel at a takeaway in Queen Street, Glasgow in 2010. Friel had knocked unconscious Goodwillie’s then Dundee United teammate Danny Swanson. Goodwillie was given a 12-month probation for his part in the fight and ordered to carry out 80 hours of unpaid work, the BBC reported.

After he left Plymouth Argyle, he signed for Clyde FC, based in Cumbernauld.

Reaction

Fans and many in Scotland have been appalled by the news Goodwillie has signed to Raith Rovers.

Bestselling author Val McDermid publicly renounced her lifelong support of the Kirkcaldy club on Tuesday.

The captain of the Raith Rovers womens’ team, Tyler Rattray, resigned in light of the news.

Rape Crisis Scotland, a leading charity that helps victims of sexual violence, said they were “surprised and deeply disappointed that Raith Rovers are happy to send such a clear message of disregard to survivors of rape and sexual violence”.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon praised the “principled” decisions of McDermid and Rattray in abandoning the club, adding: “The fact they’re in this position at all reminds us that our society still has a way to go to make zero tolerance of sexual violence a reality.”

In a statement revealing Goodwillie's signing, manager John McGlynn made no reference to the player's criminal convictions or the findings of the civil case.