Footballer Goodwillie penniless after losing rape case in civil court

● Lawyers ditch attempt to have ex-scotland striker declared bankrupt

Former Scotland striker David Goodwillie – deemed a rapist after a long civil action in the Scottish courts – says his lawyers abandoned an attempt to have him declared bankrupt because they realised he had “nothing left”.

The Scottish branch of international law firm Kennedys dropped a sequestration action against the former Dundee United star at Stirling Sheriff Court by intentionally failing to appear.

Kennedys Scotland represented Goodwillie through a damages claim which ended in November when three appeal judges upheld a Court of Session ruling that, on the balance of probabilities, he and former Dundee United teammate David Robertson had raped Denise Clair after a drunken night out in 2011.

Ms Clair, 31, won £100,000 damages in the civil action, which she launched after the Crown Office ruled out a criminal prosecution.

Stirling-born Goodwillie, 29, who is married to model Kirstie Smith, 26, had been told to appear at Stirling Sheriff Court last Tuesday for the first calling of a petition by Kennedys Scotland for his sequestration.

However, although Goodwillie turned up, Kennedys did

0 Former Dundee United player David Goodwillie says he lost his house and cars fighting the civil case that ruled him a rapist

Outside court, Goodwillie said: “I’ve given everything to fight my last civil case and I think they’ve kind of realised that I’ve not got anything else to give.

“It’s taken my house, my cars and now I just need to try and get on with my life and build something for me and my wife.”

Goodwillie, who is thought to have earned £20,000 a week while playing for Blackburn Rovers at the the height of his career in 2011, now plays for Scottish League Two side Clyde. He was reported last year to have sold his £360,000 house in Stirling to help pay his lawyers and the compensation.

In an earlier sheriff court action by Kennedys over his debts, he had offered to pay them £500 a month.

But Kennedys rejected that and he was ordered to settle in one lump sum.

It is unclear how much money is now still outstanding.