TV soap actor Iain Robertson has gone on trial charged with raping a woman. The British actor, who played Stevie O'Hara in the BBC soap River City, also faces accusations involving three other women.
Charges and Denial
Robertson, 45, of Carbeth, Stirlingshire, denies a total of eight charges spanning from 2004 to 2020. On the opening day of the trial, jurors heard pre-recorded testimony from the woman who Robertson allegedly raped in 2018 and 2019.
Relationship Background
The two originally met while working together on River City and went on to become friends. However, the 36-year-old woman said that she did not want anything sexual to happen. Despite this, the court heard that they later became more intimate, and the woman recalled having conversations with Robertson about their relationship going back to being more platonic.
Asked by prosecutor John Keenan KC how Robertson reacted, she said he 'agreed'. But the witness added: 'It was a long back and forth. Iain was convinced I was in denial about having feelings for him and in denial about what I wanted. I do not think he believed me.' She also stated she felt her 'boundaries were being ignored'.
Alleged Incident
The court then heard she was at his then home in Glasgow at the time and had planned to sleep on the sofa. However, Robertson allegedly told her she could join him in bed as 'nothing would happen.' But the witness told Keenan that the actor 'had sex' with her instead.
'I was lying down, I was very limp and he went on top of me,' she claimed. The woman said Robertson was naked at the time and it was 'out of the blue' how he came to be on top of her. Asked by Keenan whether she was participating in what was going on, the witness replied 'no' and said she did not want it to happen. After being asked how Robertson would have known this, the woman added: 'From the many conversations and my unresponsiveness.'
The trial, before Lady Drummond, continues.
