St Johnstone have given striker Jordan Robertson a chance to get his career back on track by handing the former Dundee United man a short-term deal through to the end of the season.
The 23-year-old was jailed in 2009 for causing death by dangerous driving following a smash on the M1, which left father-of-five Omar Mohamed dead.
He was released from prison this year and United who had taken Robertson on loan in the 2007-08 season gave him training facilities shortly after.
Boss Peter Houston decided not to offer him a deal but Saints manager Derek McInnes has seen enough in the Sheffield forward over the last three weeks he has spent at Perth to sign him up for the run-in.
McInnes said, “We have signed Jordan on a deal through to the end of the season and we can both take it from there.
“He can’t change what has happened in the past, but on the football side we are delighted to give him another opportunity.
“If I didn’t think he was good enough he would not be here, but I believe everyone deserves a second chance to fulfil their potential.
“Jordan deserves a chance to get his life and his career going again. He can have a fresh start here.”
He added, “We have had a couple of injuries to front players and Peter MacDonald is suspended for the cup semi-final.
“We can’t hide from the fact we haven’t been scoring enough as a team this season. There is extra onus on the strikers.
“Like any club we are always interested in a player who can score goals and hopefully Jordan can seize the opportunity he is getting here.
“We can help each other. During this important spell coming up we’re hoping he can get us a few goals as we aim to finish the season on a high.
“He has been training with us for three weeks and working very hard. We also saw him in a couple of bounce games and he showed enough to warrant this chance.
“I’m grateful to the chairman and the board for letting us bring him in.
“Jordan has the commitment and ability to make an impression. This gives him a platform and we are hoping he grasps the opportunity and proves his worth.
“I’m sure that will drive him on as he tries to get his career going again. I see a real hunger in him.”
McInnes said the powerful six-footer is in “decent shape” and is in the squad for Saturday’s match against Kilmarnock.
The player himself is confident he can make an immediate impact at McDiarmid Park.
He said, “I’ve tried to keep myself in the best shape possible and I had a couple of weeks training with Dundee United before I came here.
“The manager and Tony Docherty have been brilliant and have given me extra training when I’ve needed it.
“I’ve got sharper and sharper as the days have gone by. That’s been the big thing here they’ve taken me to one side and really worked me.
“At United they had a lot of games at the time I was there. I’m still not quite there yet but I feel with a couple of games under my belt I will be.
“I played against Hearts and Hibs in closed-doors games. I got a good run-out in both of them and I’m hoping to kick on now.
“Hibs put out a strong team and that was a really good test. It was the second game and I was able to test myself against players I’ll be coming up against in the league up here.
“This is a massive opportunity for me at this time in my career. The manager has shown great support.
“Hopefully I can be good for St Johnstone and St Johnstone can be good for me.”
Robertson could not have picked a better time to join up.
He added, “It would be great to play a part in the big games we’ve got coming up. I don’t want to just be sitting on the bench.
“We’ve got two games against the Old Firm and the Scottish Cup semi-final of course. I want to be involved in them.”
Former Saints player coach Mixu Paatelainen will not be in the dug-out at McDiarmid Park on Saturday.
The Finn has left his Rugby Park post to take over as manager of his country’s national team, with assistant Kenny Shiels being put in temporary charge.
The match will be the 150th for McInnes as Saints boss.