ROBBIE JOHNSTONE FROM ALYTH CONVICTED OF VICIOUS ASSAULTS AND STALKING IN PERTHSHIRE AND LIVINGSTON

Robbie Johnstone, aged 34 and hailing from the town of Alyth in Perthshire, faced a high-profile trial at the High Court in Livingston, where he was found guilty of a series of disturbing and violent offences. The court heard how Johnstone exhibited controlling and abusive behavior, compounded by substance abuse involving cocaine and alcohol, which contributed to his aggressive actions.

Over the course of a year, Johnstone sent a staggering 12,000 unwanted text messages to a woman, demonstrating a relentless pattern of harassment and stalking. The jury was told that his conduct extended beyond digital communication, as he repeatedly threatened and physically assaulted two women, causing significant fear and distress.

One of the victims, a married woman, endured a harrowing campaign of intimidation. The court heard that Johnstone had threatened to inform her husband about their illicit sexual affair from 2020 if she refused to continue engaging in sexual relations with him. This threat was carried out explicitly on Father’s Day that year, intensifying her fear and sense of vulnerability.

Throughout this period, Johnstone’s abusive behavior included persistent contact, threats of violence, and unannounced visits to her residence and other locations. He demanded to know her whereabouts, monitored her movements, and on one occasion, attempted to physically assault her by trying to punch her. His actions caused her considerable alarm and emotional distress.

In addition to the stalking and threats, Johnstone was convicted of a series of brutal assaults on a second woman who was pregnant at the time. The jury found him guilty of pushing her head underwater in a bath in September 2014, holding her submerged in a manner that caused her extreme fear for her unborn child. When he finally released her, he kicked her in the stomach, further endangering her and her baby.

Evidence presented in court detailed other violent acts, including threats to cut her finger with a knife, physical pushes that caused her to fall onto a clothes horse and her stomach, headbutting her, spitting on her, and repeatedly slapping her face. He was also convicted of choking her with a belt, leaving marks on her neck, and kicking her, all of which caused her injury.

During his own testimony, Johnstone claimed that the allegations made by the women—who insisted they did not know each other—were fabricated. Despite this, he was cleared of seven charges of rape and one attempted rape, along with several other physical assault charges, as the jury returned majority verdicts of not proven on those counts.

Judge Lord Young granted Johnstone bail and ordered a report into his background. The sentencing was deferred until June 20 at the High Court in Paisley, where further legal proceedings are expected to determine the full extent of his punishment.