David Goodwillie scored a hat-trick on his debut for Radcliffe FC on Tuesday night - but the non-league club failed to announce his arrival.
Goodwillie was ruled to be a rapist in a civil case in 2017 and ordered to pay £100,000 in damages by a judge. No criminal proceedings were brought against Goodwillie and fellow footballer David Robertson, but, in the first civil case of its kind in Scotland, it was ruled he raped a woman in a flat in West Lothian in 2011.
The 33-year-old was released by Raith Rovers in September following a high-profile backlash against his employment at the club. The Scottish club saw board members resign, sponsors pull out and heavy criticism from fans, Rape Crisis Scotland and Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.
Goodwillie played one game on trial for Livingston United in November before being released again, but now appears to have found a new home. Radcliffe, who play in the Northern Premier League, released their teamsheet for a game against Belper Town on Twitter on Tuesday night, with Goodwillie listed, despite no announcement of him having signed for the club.
He went on to score three times in the second half in a 4-2 win for Radcliffe, who extended their unbeaten league run to six matches. Mirror Football reached out to Radcliffe to ask about Goodwillie but has not received a reply.
Sky Sports News reports that Goodwillie has signed a short-term contract with Radcliffe. Comments under their match updates on Tuesday night showed a negative reaction from the club’s fans to Goodwillie’s arrival.
After being accused of rape in 2011, Goodwillie was not prosecuted because prosecutors said there was not enough evidence. However, there was a different outcome in a subsequent civil case six years later.
In civil proceedings, the burden of proof is on the balance of probabilities as opposed to criminal proceedings where it has to be proved beyond reasonable doubt.
Raith Rovers signed Goodwillie on a two-and-a-half-year deal from Clyde on the final day of the January 2022 transfer window. He never played for the club and was eventually released following a ferocious backlash, which prompted club chairman John Sim to apologise for the move.
"I firstly want to apologise wholeheartedly to our fans, sponsors, players and the wider Raith Rovers community for the anguish and anger caused over the past few days,” he said in a statement.
"We got it wrong. In reaching our original decision, we focused far too much on football matters and not enough on what this decision would mean for our club and the community as a whole."
