Actor Iain Robertson was "emotionally controlling and manipulative" before later turning violent, a woman has testified in court. The former River City star is accused of behaving in a "threatening or abusive manner" towards the woman on numerous occasions between December 2013 and July 2015.
Charges and Denials
He also faces charges of assaulting her twice in 2014. The 45-year-old is additionally charged with raping another woman "on various occasions" between 2018 and 2019, as well as offences involving two other women. Robertson denies a total of eight charges spanning a 16-year period from 2004 to 2020.
Witness Testimony
Giving evidence at the High Court in Glasgow on Tuesday, one of the women said she met Robertson in 2012 or 2013, just as she was finishing drama school. Speaking to the trial via video-link, the 40-year-old said Robertson was initially "quite charming" but his behaviour soon altered.
"His behaviour became quite controlling, emotionally controlling, manipulative," she stated. "Over time that would escalate and there would be threats of physical violence and then eventually physical violence." She claimed he tried to "wedge (her) apart" from people she was close to, including her friends and mother, saying he used to "pick an argument" whenever she was due to meet them.
Allegations of Alcohol Abuse
She also labelled him as a "violent alcoholic", stating he drank "a lot" and was "in and out" of Alcoholics Anonymous throughout their relationship. She claimed that when he was inebriated, he would address her in an "aggressive, disrespectful" manner, making her feel "awful". She stated: "He would call me a bitch, and he would just be derogatory." When asked to characterise his tone, she described it as: "Harsh – like venom, is the best adjective I can think to describe it. Almost like you are spitting the words."
Incident in Moray
She recalled that in 2013, they had taken a holiday to a cabin in Moray, north-east Scotland, where Robertson "drank a lot throughout the whole trip". She recounted one instance during the trip when they were en route to a tourist attraction. "He was driving, we were in the car somewhere and he started shouting at me," she said. "I think it was over directions, he just flew off the handle and flung the car around." She admitted she had been "really scared" as she felt "trapped" in his car with him. "It was really obvious to me I was in a dangerous situation with this person, both in the car... but also in a wider sense in the relationship."
Threats and Physical Assault
She remembered another incident the night before she was due to travel to London for a photoshoot when Robertson became "threatening" and "aggressive" during a dispute. "I was scared and something happened where I was cowering because I thought he was going to hit me," she told the court. "When he saw that he said 'if you think I am going to hit you then I will hit you', and he lunged at me. I fell on to the bed and had my hands and arms over my head." She informed the court that he then left the room – but despite being "so afraid" she didn't know how to escape from his flat, so she feigned sleep.
Hair-Dragging Incident
She also recalled an incident in December 2014 when she said they had been arguing and she had "ended up on the floor". She told the court: "He dragged me by my hair from the bedroom out into the hall. I was trying to make it stop, I was trying to grab on to anything to make it stop." She said once he let go she stood up and told him "we are finished, it's over".
End of Relationship and Apologies
The woman said she ended the relationship in early 2015, when he reacted poorly to her socialising with new colleagues, and Robertson then bombarded her with an "obsessive amount" of phone calls and texts, and later emails. The court was shown some of the emails, in which Robertson was apologising to her. Robertson's lawyer Gary Allan KC suggested to the woman that none of the emails specify what he is apologising for, which he said does not corroborate her account of events. She agreed with this, but said the "heightened" nature of the apologies corresponded with the "heightened" incidents for which he was apologising.
The trial, presided over by Lady Drummond, continues.
