Former River City actor Iain Robertson, 45, has denied raping a woman while on holiday in the Lake District, telling a court she was the one who "initiated" sex.
The ex-River City star is alleged to have physically assaulted the woman "on various occasions" including after a disagreement over a "puerile" game she had been playing with friends who joined the 2007 trip.
Robertson faces further charges of raping another woman "on various occasions" between 2018 and 2019, as well as offences involving two other women. He denies a total of seven charges spanning 2004 to 2020. An eighth charge was withdrawn by the prosecution on Wednesday.
Court Testimony
Giving evidence to the High Court in Glasgow on Thursday, Robertson denied raping the women during the Lake District trip. The allegation is included in the indictment but does not form part of the charges.
Robertson told the court the pair had disagreed over a "puerile" game involving suggesting film names with one word substituted for a word the woman had "explicitly" banned him from using. He asked her to come out of the room and said: "Why is it I can't say that word, but you can throw it around?" He then went to bed, and she joined him in the "small hours".
He stated: "I was sleeping. The first I was aware, she did disturb the dog in some way, so the dog yelped and I (knew) she was coming to bed. I said sorry about that nonsense earlier, then (she) pulled the covers back from me and proceeded to initiate sex." He added: "I remember being uncomfortable because the dog was in the room."
Defence and Prosecution
Gary Allan KC, defending, asked if the woman ever said she was unhappy or told him to stop. Robertson replied: "No." He told the court he asked her to be quiet as she made noises of "pleasure", concerned her friends would hear.
Mr Allan suggested Robertson's version was "very different" from the woman's earlier testimony. Robertson insisted: "I am, truly." The woman had told the court on Wednesday she was trying to sleep when Robertson held her down and had sex despite her saying "no" at least once.
Robertson denied assaulting the woman or pouring wine over her, saying wine spilled from a glass when she tried to take it from him to stop him drinking. He also denied dragging another woman out of a bedroom by her hair, stating: "Nothing like that whatsoever happened. I wouldn't do that to anyone."
Alcohol and Behaviour
Robertson accepted he "probably" shouted or used swear words during arguments but said the woman did the same. He told the court he is an alcoholic, describing it as an "underlying issue" that "played a part" in his conduct at times, though he was "entirely sober" for some incidents. "I am a grateful alcoholic today because I understand what's wrong with me," he said. "I understand the illness, the nature of the illness, I know what the solution is. Today I am sober."
The trial, before Lady Drummond, continues.
