Val McDermid ends sponsorship of Raith Rovers over David Goodwillie signing

Crime writer Val McDermid has ended her sponsorship of Raith Rovers over the signing of David Goodwillie.

Rovers have faced a backlash from some supporters after buying Goodwillie, who was ruled by a judge in 2017 to have raped a woman.

The cinch Championship club announced a deal had been done to sign the 32-year-old former Scotland international from Clyde late on transfer deadline day on Monday, with Goodwillie signing a contract until 2024.

At a civil case at the Court of Session in Edinburgh in 2017, Goodwillie and his former Dundee United team-mate David Robertson were ordered to pay damages of £100,000 to a woman they had raped, a judge ruled. No criminal charges had been brought against either of them.

Former Blackburn and Aberdeen striker Goodwillie left Plymouth in the wake of the ruling and has played for Clyde in Scotland’s lower two divisions since then, hitting 109 goals in 176 appearances.

McDermid, a former Raith director whose name adorns the club’s home shirts, had warned against the signing several weeks ago and her stance has been backed by Scotland’s First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon.

The novelist, who has sold more than 17 million books, wrote on Twitter: “I have this morning ended my lifelong support of Raith Rovers over their signing of the rapist David Goodwillie.

“I have cancelled next season’s shirt sponsorship over this disgusting and despicable move. This shatters any claim to be a community or family club.

“Goodwillie has never expressed a shred of remorse for the rape he committed. His presence at Starks Park is a stain on the club.

“I’ll be tearing up my season ticket too. This is a heartbreaker for me and many other fans, I know.”

In a later post on social media, she added: “The thought of the rapist David Goodwillie running out on the pitch at Starks Park in a Raith Rovers shirt with my name on it makes me feel physically sick.”

McDermid, whose father was the Rovers scout responsible for signing the club’s greatest player, Jim Baxter, added that the move was “a terrible day not just for Raith Rovers but for women who support football”.

“The beautiful game just turned very ugly in Kirkcaldy,” she added.

The captain of the club’s women’s team, Tyler Rattray, announced she was quitting playing for the team.

In a tweet, she said: “After 10 long years playing for Raith, it’s gutting I have given up now because they have signed someone like this and I want nothing to do with it!”

The First Minister described McDermid and Rattray’s responses as “principled – though difficult for both of them”.

Sturgeon added: “But the fact they’re in this position at all reminds us that our society still has a way to go to make zero tolerance of sexual violence a reality.”

Rape Crisis Scotland, a group which campaigns to end sexual violence, claimed Raith’s decision was a “clear message of disregard to survivors of rape”.

Raith manager John McGlynn claimed the signing was crucial to their promotion push while Clyde stated they would not stand in the way of Goodwillie’s desire to return to top-flight football.

The League One club’s manager, Danny Lennon, added: “It’s fair to say that, while David has been good for Clyde, scoring over 100 goals, Clyde has also been good for David, giving him a football home and platform to enjoy what he does best at a difficult juncture in his life.”