Clair challenges Crown decision to drop rape case against Goodwillie

Denise Clair is asking Scotland’s Court of Criminal Appeal for permission to bring a rare private prosecution against former footballer David Goodwillie, arguing that prosecutors wrongly dropped the rape case. Her lawyer says the Crown had enough evidence to take the case to court, while the Crown and Goodwillie’s lawyer oppose the application.

The alleged rape took place near Armadale in 2011, after a night out in Bathgate. In a civil case, a judge found that Goodwillie and his then teammate David Robertson had raped Clair and ordered them to pay £100,000 in damages; both denied the allegation. The court heard that private prosecutions of this kind are extremely rare in Scotland, and judges said they would issue their decision as soon as practicable.