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A sexual assault support charity says it is “deeply disappointed” over a football club’s decision to field rapist David Goodwillie.

Goodwillie was included in the Glasgow United FC team to play in a friendly match against West of Scotland Premier Division side Pollok last week.

Rape Crisis Scotland criticised Glasgow United FC and branded the move a “bad decision that sends entirely the wrong message”.

A spokesperson from the charity told Sky News: “We are deeply disappointed that Glasgow United FC appear to be happy to send such a clear message of disregard to survivors of rape and sexual violence.

“Fundamentally – women’s lives are more important than men’s talent or careers.

“Footballers are role models – particularly for young people – and it’s not okay to have someone in this position who has been found by a senior judge to be a rapist.”

Goodwillie and fellow footballer David Robertson were ruled to be rapists in a 2017 civil case.

The pair, who have never faced a criminal trial over the allegations, were ordered to pay £100,000 in damages after a judge ruled they raped a 30-year-old woman at a property in West Lothian following a night out in January 2011.

Goodwillie, 34, has seen several football club contracts collapse due to public outrage over the case, but was spotted playing for ninth-tier side Glasgow United FC in a friendly match last Wednesday.

A club spokesperson told BBC Scotland that Goodwillie “deserves a chance” and that he wants to be “left in peace and be allowed to play the game he loves”.

The Rape Crisis Scotland spokesperson added: “We wonder whether those who took this decision to select David Goodwillie for play last week considered how it may look or feel to survivors of sexual violence to have to watch somebody judged to have committed rape be celebrated and applauded.

“This was a bad decision that sends entirely the wrong message.”

Glasgow United FC was contacted for comment.

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Goodwillie is due to appear on James English’s Anything Goes podcast later on Wednesday.

It will be the first time he has spoken out since the 2017 ruling.

In a clip released online, Goodwillie said he has always been advised not to talk about the case and continued to claim it was consensual sex.

Highlighting there have been no criminal proceedings, he said: “I’m the same as her. Like, you know, I don’t feel like I’ve had justice.”

He added that due to the controversy, he has not been allowed to “take care” of his family.

Goodwillie, who has played for Dundee United, Aberdeen and Blackburn Rovers, was playing for English club Plymouth at the time of the civil court judgement and left “by mutual consent” just days after the ruling.

Two months later, in March 2017, he signed for Clyde despite fierce criticism of the club’s decision to give him a deal.

He played for the Cumbernauld-based club for almost five years, becoming club captain, before Raith moved to sign him in February last year.

Following widespread opposition to the move, Goodwillie was released from his contract without playing a match.

A year later Northern Premier League side Radcliffe responded to criticism by cancelling Goodwillie’s contract a day after he scored a hat-trick on his debut against Belper Town.

And just last month, Australian second-tier side FC Sorrento was forced to rescind a contract.

The club apologised to anyone “that may have been caused offence by his signing”.

Goodwillie subsequently opened a Twitter account after the FC Sorrento move was scrapped, vowing to “finally speak my truth”.

Rape Crisis Scotland support

  • If you need to talk to someone, the charity’s helpline is open from 5pm until midnight every evening on 08088 01 03 02
  • Webchat, email and text support is also available via rapecrisisscotland.org.uk

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Man arrested on suspicion of murder after woman shot dead in Talbot Green, South Wales

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Man arrested on suspicion of murder after woman shot dead in Talbot Green, South Wales

A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a 40-year-old woman was shot dead in South Wales.

The woman was found with serious injuries just after 6pm on Sunday and died at the scene despite the efforts of emergency services.

She was discovered in the Green Park area of Talbot Green, a town about 15 miles west of Cardiff.

A 42-year-old local man is in police custody.

Detective Chief Inspector James Morris said: “I understand the concern this will cause the local community, and I want to reassure people that a team of experienced detectives are already working at pace to piece together the events of last night.”

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South Wales Police said a number of crime scenes have been set up and road closures are in place.

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Drivers ‘confused’ by transition to electric vehicles, ministers warned

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Drivers 'confused' by transition to electric vehicles, ministers warned

UK drivers are “confused” by the country’s electric car transition, ministers are being warned.

Although most drivers are not hostile towards electric vehicles (EVs), many are confused about what changes are coming and when, according to new research from the AA.

In a survey of more than 14,000 AA members, 7% thought the government was banning the sale of used petrol and diesel cars.

Around a third thought manual EVs exist, despite them all being automatic.

More than one in five said they would never buy an EV.

The government’s plan for increasing the number of electric vehicles being driven in the UK focuses heavily on increasing the supply of the vehicles.

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What you can do to reach net zero

In 2024, at least 22% of new cars and 10% of new vans sold by each manufacturer in the UK had to be zero-emission, which generally means pure electric.

More on Climate Change

Each year, those percentages will rise, reaching 80% of new cars and 70% of new vans in 2030.

Manufacturers will face fines of £15,000 per vehicle if electric vehicle sales fall short of 28% of total production this year.

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By 2035, all new cars and vans will be required to be fully zero emission, according to the Department for Transport.

Second-hand diesel and petrol cars will still be allowed to be sold after this date, and their fuel will still be available.

There are more EVs – but will people buy them?

In February, 25% of new cars were powered purely by battery and in January, they made up 21% of all new cars registered in the UK.

But despite the growth of electric sales, manufacturers continue to warn that the market will not support the growth required to hit government EV targets, and called for consumer incentives and the extension of tax breaks.

The AA suggested the government’s plan focuses on “supply but does little to encourage demand for EVs”.

It called on ministers to co-ordinate a public awareness campaign alongside the motoring industry which directly targets drivers who doubt the viability of EVs.

“Our message to government is more needs to be done to make EVs accessible for everyone,” said Jakob Pfaudler, AA chief executive.

Which? head of consumer rights Sue Davis said: “When it comes to making sustainable choices such as switching to an electric car, our research shows that people are often held back by high costs, complex choices or uncertainty.

“The government needs to provide the right information on electric vehicles and other sustainable choices so that people have the confidence to switch.”

A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “We’re investing over £2.3bn to help industry and consumers make a supported switch to EVs.

“This includes installing a public charge point every 28 minutes, keeping EV incentives in the company car tax regime to 2030, and extending 100% first-year allowances for zero-emission cars for another year.

“Second-hand EVs are also becoming cheaper than ever, with one in three available under £20,000 and 21 brand new models available for less than £30,000.

“We’re seeing growing consumer confidence as a result.”

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Man charged after climbing Big Ben’s Elizabeth Tower

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Man charged after climbing Big Ben's Elizabeth Tower

A man has been charged after climbing up the tower of Big Ben, the Metropolitan Police has said.

Daniel Day, 29, of Palmerston Road, Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex, faces charges of intentionally or recklessly causing a public nuisance and trespassing on a protected site.

He will appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court later today.

Police were called to reports of a man climbing up Elizabeth Tower at 7.24am on Saturday.

The man was carrying a Palestinian flag and remained barefoot on a ledge for more than 16 hours before being lifted to the ground in a cherry picker just after midnight.

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Westminster Bridge was forced to close to traffic during the morning, as tourists in central London stood around watching the spectacle.

Police said specialist officers worked with the fire brigade “to bring this incident to a close as quickly as possible whilst minimising risk to life”.

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