River City actor 'ignored boundaries', rape trial told

A River City actor has gone on trial charged with raping a woman.

Iain Robertson - who played Stevie O'Hara in the BBC soap - also faces accusations involving three other women.

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 Robertson allegedly raped in 2018 and 2019.

The two had got to know each other from working together on River City and went on to become friends.

The 36-year-old woman said she did not want anything sexual to happen, but believed Robertson did.

The court heard they later became more intimate.

However, the woman recalled going on to have 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."

The woman stated she felt her "boundaries were being ignored".

The court heard she was at his then home in Glasgow's Tradeston at the time and planned to sleep on the sofa.

But Robertson allegedly told her she could join him in bed as "nothing would happen".

However, the witness told Keenan the actor instead "had sex" with her.

She claimed: "I was lying down, I was very limp and he went on top of me."

The woman said Robertson was naked at the time.

Asked by Keenan if she could say how he came to be on top of her, she replied: "No, it was out of the blue."

The woman did not say anything to Robertson at that point.

Keenan said: "When this was happening, were you participating in what was going on?"

The witness replied "no" and said she did not want it to happen.

The advocate depute asked how Robertson would have known this.

The woman replied: "From the many conversations and my unresponsiveness."

She told the hearing how she felt "awful" after what allegedly occurred.

The woman went on to describe another incident at her flat in Glasgow's west end.

She claimed Robertson had been upset about the "sexual aspect ending" and kicked over a table, breaking a vase.

The woman said he suggested them going to see a relationship counsellor and that she "just agreed" as she did not want "the violence to escalate".

The court heard Robertson later went into the woman's bed. She also got in to go to sleep.

She told how the actor went on to allegedly pull her on top of him before again having sex with her.

The woman stated she not want this to happen and was left feeling "very numb".

She again told the hearing that Robertson would have known this from the chats they had had.

Robertson has lodged a special defence that anything sexual with this woman was consensual.

He faces a separate claim of also engaging in a course of abusive behaviour towards her.

This includes accusations that he was "controlling" and did "psychologically manipulate her".

It is also alleged that he kicked household objects, grabbed her by the neck, hounded her by phone and text messages, sent her unwanted presents and tried to make her "fearful" of reporting him to the police.

Robertson faces earlier accusations of breach of the peace and assault against the first woman listed on the indictment.

It is claimed the actor shouted, swore and made derogatory comments towards her. He also allegedly poured the contents of a bottle of wine over her.

These incidents are said to have occurred at a different property in Glasgow's southside.

Roberston is further accused of two charges of assault as well as threatening and abusive behaviour towards another woman over a three-year period.

Prosecutors list a number of accusations including him trying to control where she went and isolating her from friends and family.

He also allegedly persistently contacted her and sent unwanted gifts to her work.

The physical violence is said have involved Robertson injuring the woman by lunging at her causing her to fall onto a bed.

He further allegedly dragged her by the hair into a room.

The locations listed in these charges are flats in the southside of Glasgow as well as in Aberdeenshire.

Robertson is also said to have been involved in abusive behaviour towards the final woman.

The indictment claims he was aggressive, manipulative, pushed her on the body and uttered sexual remarks.

The trial, before Lady Drummond, continues.