RIVER CITY ACTOR 'IGNORED BOUNDARIES', RAPE TRIAL TOLD
A performer from River City is currently standing trial on charges related to the alleged assault of a woman.Iain Robertson, known for his role as Stevie O'Hara in the BBC soap, also faces allegations connected to three additional women.
The 45-year-old from Carbeth in Stirlingshire denies eight charges spanning from 2004 to 2020.
During the trial’s opening day, jurors listened to pre-recorded testimony from the woman who claims Robertson raped her in 2018 and 2019.
The woman, aged 36, explained that she and Robertson became acquaintances through their work on River City, eventually forming a friendship.
She stated she did not want any sexual contact, but believed Robertson did, and admitted they later engaged in more intimate acts.
However, she recalled discussing the nature of their relationship and going back to a more platonic arrangement.
When asked by the prosecutor, John Keenan KC, how Robertson responded, she said he agreed.
She added that there was ongoing back-and-forth, with Robertson convinced she was in denial about her feelings and her desires.
The woman felt her personal boundaries were being overlooked.
At the time, she was at Robertson’s home in Glasgow’s Tradeston neighborhood and planned to sleep on the sofa.
However, Robertson told her she could join him in bed, claiming nothing would happen.
Instead, she alleged Robertson engaged in sex with her, describing herself as lying very limp and saying he went on top.
She noted Robertson was unclothed during the incident.
When asked about how Robertson ended up on top of her, she responded that it was sudden and unexpected.
She did not communicate with Robertson during the act, stating she did not want it to occur.
Keenan asked if she participated, and she said no, emphasizing her lack of consent.
She explained Robertson would have been aware of her unwillingness through their conversations and her lack of response.
She described feeling profoundly upset afterward.
The testimony continued with the woman recounting a separate incident at her flat in Glasgow’s West End.
She claimed Robertson was distressed about their sexual relationship ending, kicked over a table and broke a vase.
He reportedly suggested they seek relationship counselling, to which she agreed to prevent further violence.
Later, Robertson supposedly entered her bed, and she also got in to sleep.
She alleged he pulled her on top of him and again engaged in sexual activity against her will.
The woman described feeling numb and indicated Robertson would have known she did not want this.
Robertson has put forward a special defence claiming any sexual activity was consensual.
He also faces accusations of a pattern of controlling and psychologically manipulative behavior.
These include allegations of kicking household objects, choking her, constant contact via calls and texts, sending unwanted gifts, and attempting to instill fear of police reporting.
Additional charges involve earlier misconduct towards another woman, with accusations of shouting, swearing, derogatory remarks, and pouring wine over her during incidents in Glasgow’s southside.
He is also accused of assaulting and threatening another woman over several years, attempting to control her movements, isolating her from friends and family, and sending unsolicited gifts.
Specific violent acts include injuries inflicted by lunging at her and dragging her by the hair into different rooms, at locations in Glasgow and Aberdeenshire.
Behavior towards a final woman is also detailed, with accusations of aggression, manipulation, physical assault, and making sexual remarks.
The trial, overseen by Lady Drummond, is ongoing.
