Rapist footballer David Goodwillie says 'let's go' as prosecutors urged to reopen case
Rapist David Goodwillie says he is willing to go to a criminal court to clear his name five years after he was ruled to have raped a woman in a civil case
David Goodwillie has welcomed the potential reopening of his case after prosecutors were asked to look into potential criminal proceedings.
Goodwillie, 34, alongside former Dundee United team-mate David Robertson, were judged at a civil court case in 2017 to have raped a woman six years earlier, which he has always denied.
Both men were ordered to pay £100,000 in damages, though no criminal charges were pursued against either of them. In 2011 the Crown Office dropped rape charges due to "insufficient evidence".
Days after Scottish club Glasgow United risked eviction from their home ground after he played in a friendly, Goodwillie has responded to the potential reopening of his case.
He posted a statement on Twitter entitled "prosecutors urged to reopen David Goodwillie case" addressed to Mr Thomas Ross and solicitor Mellissa Rutherford.
Goodwillie then wrote: "I say let's go, I can finally have the chance to clear my name of this vile stigma that has followed me for long enough.
"Your attempt to BULLY me going to the media will not work anymore, and to clear up the private prosecution you speak of for the public to understand if they don't know already, everyone involved in the case would have to have a substantial amount of money for this to happen I know I don't have that, and everyone who is involved I assume they are the same.
"All I would ask for is a fair trial, this had been well publicised for many years now. I never stopped maintaining my innocence and won't stop now."
Earlier on Tuesday (July 25) BBC Scotland were contacted by a lawyer representing victim Denise Clair, who waived her right to anonymity, saying that they had asked prosecutors to re-examine the case.
Thomas Ross, who has written to the Crown Office, told the BBC that Goodwillie would be able to object to a future criminal case after he was given an assurance he would not be prosecuted again in 2011.
However, Goodwillie appeared on the Anything Goes podcast earlier this month to say he would be willing to go to criminal court to clear his name.
Goodwillie played for Dundee United, Blackburn Rovers and Crystal Palace before the civil court case, since spending five-years with Clyde.
The former Scotland international has since struggled to find new clubs, with moves to Raith Rovers, Radcliffe FC and Australian side Sorrento FC falling through.
Speaking on the aforementioned podcast, Goodwillie said: "I'm an innocent man. I still say to this day, I'm walking about free, I'm not on the sex offenders register.
“I've not got any charges for this, I don't even have a criminal record any more. I've cleaned up my act and I've tried to be a better person."
He added: "This case wasn't violent, this was three people drunk, having consensual sex, what was happening in front of me was normal, she was talking, laughing, joking, joining in."