A women’s rights campaigner robbed of her dream job for speaking out about David Goodwillie has slammed the rapist footballer after he revealed “his truth”.
Marie Penman criticised the former Scotland international for his Twitter remarks – just days after an Australian side became the latest club to backtrack on signing him following a public backlash.
Goodwillie – who along with ex-Dundee United teammate David Robertson was ruled by a civil court judge in 2017 to have raped Denise Clair six years earlier – last week vowed to tell his version of events.
And on Friday night he apologised to the families of Ms Clair and Robertson for the impact the events of 2011 have had on them, before saying: “I’m no saint, I hold my hands up. But I’m also not a rapist.”
The 34-year-old former United, Raith Rovers and Aberdeen forward claimed his wife and children deserved “a better life and not suffer from my poor life choices when I was a young 21-year-old boy”.
He also moaned he had been “hounded” out of jobs and was fighting mental health issues, adding: “I see people say that I haven’t shown any sort of remorse – every day I show remorse.”
‘His career’s finished’
Marie – a lifelong Raith fan and former Kirkcaldy councillor – quit Stark’s Park in disgust at the signing of Goodwillie in February last year.
She was less than a month into her tenure as the club’s ever employability project delivery officer, with the door closed on a return to the role even after it was confirmed the disgraced striker would never pull on a Rovers shirt.
Marie, who helped form Women Together in Fife, said: “It’s simple – he hasn’t apologised to Denise Clair for what he did to her.
“And he acts like being a footballer is the only job in the world, that it’s the only possible job for him.
“He has to accept those days are gone – his career’s finished.
“He played the old sympathy card: ‘I should be able to feed my wife and kids’. That doesn’t garner any sympathy at all from me.
“To describe himself as a ‘young boy of 21’ – you’re a man at 21 and you take responsibility for your actions.
“He hasn’t done that at all.
“The age of 21 isn’t when you learn the difference between right and wrong.”
Civil case ruling
Lord Armstrong heard from 20 witnesses during the civil case, which hinged on whether Ms Clair was too drunk to give consent to have sex with the players.
Goodwillie and Robertson said it was consensual.
Witnesses testified to Ms Clair being extremely drunk when she left a club in a taxi with the pair.
Medical and forensic witnesses backed her story and Lord Armstrong ruled Ms Clair had been raped, awarding her around £100,000 in damages.
She later revealed lawyers for the footballers – who haven’t paid a penny out of the court-ordered compensation – had offered her up to £115,000 to drop the case.
‘Makes my stomach turn’
The duo also lost an appeal against the civil ruling in November 2017.
Goodwillie was declared bankrupt 17 months later.
Marie said: “I know the details of what happened – I’ve read the civil judgement.
“Anyone who hasn’t should do so. It’s horrible. Every part of it makes my stomach turn.
“And now it’s all ‘boohoo, poor me, I was a drunk little boy at the time’.
“What about Denise’s life? What about the abuse she’s received about all this? It’s disgraceful.
“He threw it [his football career] away. He blew it big time.”
Tess White MSP, Scottish Conservative shadow sports minister, says “few people will have sympathy” for the striker.
She said: “There’s a reason football supporters at a succession of clubs have forced a U-turn from owners who have tried to sign him.
“They recognise that to do so would send out entirely the wrong message, particularly at a time when the women’s game is expanding and we want to encourage more girls to play football.
“Rather than moaning publicly about his own plight, Goodwillie would be advised to recognise the pain his words will cause his victim.”
‘Very interesting evidence’
Goodwillie – who claimed Lord Armstrong had the ability to “play God” with his ruling – was arrested and charged with rape before the Crown Office dropped the charges and said there was insufficient evidence to bring the case to court.
Robertson, who had spells at St Johnstone and Cowdenbeath before quitting football, was never charged.
Thomas Ross KC, who last year worked to bring forward a rare private prosecution against the pair, told us: “It [Goodwillie’s Twitter statement] doesn’t make any difference whatsoever to the criminal situation because they gave him immunity from prosecution.
“At the time they made a statement saying he was not to be prosecuted and there’s no going back from that.
“But it [the player’s latest remarks] would be very interesting evidence if Ms Clair chose to take a private prosecution against him though.”
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