Former minister Aitken says Evans should play again

Jonathan Aitken told Good Morning Britain that convicted rapist Ched Evans should be free to return to professional football.

The Welsh striker was expected to sign for League One Oldham Athletic on Monday, but the club have stalled on the deal following pressure from supporters, including 30,000 signing a petition against signing Evans.

Aitken, who was jailed in 1999 after being convicted of perjury, said: “We have to stick to law and principles. He has served his sentence, he has been in jail and when he comes out of jail - like any other prisoner - he is entitled to attempt to be rehabilitated.

"I know this [football] is the national religion but we don’t have to pretend that footballers are like holy priests, they’re just ordinary workers like anyone else. "There is such a negative warning about the Ched Evans case that any football fans that have got any brain might well think twice about going down the road that he’s been down. Question is should he get a second chance, I think he should.”