Former River City actor Iain Robertson, 45, has denied having sex with a woman without her consent while holidaying in the Lake District, telling a court she ‘initiated’ it
Iain Robertson(Image: BBC Studios Scotland/BBC Scotland)
Actor Iain Robertson 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 the pair had a disagreement over a “puerile” game she had been playing with some of her friends, who had come on the 2007 trip with them.
Robertson, 45, is further charged with 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 between 2004 and 2020.
He had originally faced an eighth charge relating to one of the women, but this was withdrawn by the prosecution on Wednesday.
Giving evidence to the High Court in Glasgow on Thursday, Robertson denied raping the women during the Lake District trip.
The allegation is included on the indictment, but does not form part of the charges against Robertson.
Robertson told the court the pair had disagreed over a “puerile” game, which involved suggesting film names with one word substituted for a word he said the woman had “explicitly” banned him from using.
Robertson told the court he asked her to come out of the room and said to her: “why is it I can’t say that word, but you can throw it around?” He said he then “went up to bed”, and she stayed up with her friends, coming to bed in the “small hours”.
He told the court: “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.”
Gary Allan KC, defending Robertson, asked him whether at any point she said “that she was unhappy or for you to stop, or anything of that sort?” Robertson replied “No.”
Robertson told the court he asked the woman to be quiet at one point as she had been making noises of “pleasure”, and he had been concerned her friends would hear.
Mr Allan put it to Robertson that his version of events is “very different” from that given by the woman earlier in the trial, and asked him if he was telling the truth. Robertson replied: “I am, truly”.
The woman had told the court on Wednesday that she had been trying to sleep when Robertson held her down and had sex with her despite her saying “no” at least once.
Robertson also denied that he had assaulted the woman at any point, including denying having poured a bottle of wine over her.
He said there had been an incident involving wine, but that it had spilled from a glass when she tried to take a wine glass off him one evening, to stop him from drinking.
Robertson also denied allegations that he assaulted another of the women on two occasions, including an incident where he is said to have dragged her out of a bedroom by her hair.
“Nothing like that whatsoever” happened, he said, adding: “I wouldn’t do that to anyone”.
Robertson told the court he did not act in a “threatening or abusive manner” towards two of the women, including by behaving in a “controlling” manner and uttering offensive comments.
He accepted that at times he “probably” shouted or used swear words during arguments with one of the women, but said she had done the same to him.
Early on in his evidence, Robertson was also asked about his drinking, and he told the court he was an alcoholic.
The court heard this was an “underlying issue” throughout the period covered by the charges and that, at times, it “played a part” in his conduct – but that he been “entirely sober” for some of it as well.
“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.” He added: “Today I am sober”.
The trial, before Lady Drummond, continues.
