SCOTTISH team Livingston announced yesterday that they will re-sign Declan Gallagher despite the defender being out on bail for a serious assault.

Gallagher was sentenced to three years in jail for attacking 45-year-old Steven Findlay with a baseball bat in 2013, leaving him with a fractured skull and bleeding in the brain.

But Gallagher has been training with the Championship side and will continue to do so until his appeal against the conviction is heard.

A club statement said: “We are of the view that while he is on bail he should be provided with the opportunity to earn a living and to support his family while he continues with the fight to clear his name.

“We appreciate that in this process there are many victims, including Declan, and that not everyone will be comfortable with the approach adopted by the club. The club, however, is not in a position to make judgement.”