Former River City actor Iain Robertson jailed for nine years for rape

Former River City histrion Iain Robertson has been jailed for 9 years for raping a pistillate and assaulting 2 others.

The 45-year-old, who played Stevie O'Hara successful the BBC soap, was convicted of 5 offences, including home abuse, against the women betwixt 2004 and 2019.

During his proceedings astatine the High Court successful Glasgow, Robertson was referred to by witnesses arsenic "violent" and "controlling".

Lady Drummond told Robertson, who appeared via video nexus from Barlinnie prison, that his behaviour had a "long lasting and life-changing" interaction connected his victims.

The justice said they present suffered from anxiety, fearfulness and flashbacks and had problems with spot and a consciousness of safety.

The proceedings heard however Robertson, of Carbeth successful Stirlingshire, raped a pistillate connected 1 juncture betwixt 2018 and 2019 arsenic good arsenic a abstracted enactment assault.

The brace came to cognize each different from moving unneurotic connected River City.

The pistillate said she did not privation thing intersexual to happen, but believed Robertson did.

The narration became intimate, but the pistillate aboriginal told Robertson she wanted their narration to spell backmost to being platonic.

She said 1 evening she was astatine his location successful Glasgow's Tradeston and planned to slumber connected the sofa, but Robertson allegedly told her she could articulation him successful furniture arsenic "nothing would happen".

However, the witnesser said that the histrion alternatively "had sex" with her.

She did not accidental thing to Robertson astatine the time, but said she did not enactment successful what happened and she did not privation it to happen.

She besides described an earlier incidental erstwhile Robertson carried retired a enactment enactment connected her and she "just waited for it to beryllium over".

He was besides recovered blameworthy of engaging successful a people of abusive behaviour against her.

Prosecutors presented grounds of different intersexual incidental involving a 2nd pistillate to corroborate the rape charge.

Robertson was accused of forced himself connected the pistillate during successful the Lake District successful September 2007.

Jurors did not person to present a verdict connected this, but helium was convicted of battle by pouring vino implicit her caput and her assemblage people work.

The tribunal heard that Robertson was besides convulsive with a 3rd pistillate - a chap actor.

The pistillate described however Robertson hounded her with an "obsessive" magnitude of calls and voicemails, and sent gifts to theatres wherever she was performing.

He was recovered blameworthy of threatening and abusive behaviour towards her.

The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service praised the women who spoke retired against Robertson.

"It is done their grounds that Robertson was brought to justice," said Procurator Fiscal Faye Cook.

"Robertson held a high-profile presumption done his vocation but successful backstage helium assaulted and abused females who trusted him.

"This has caused lasting harm to the lives of radical who thought they were harmless astir him."

Robertson was enactment connected the enactment offenders' registry and volition beryllium supervised for a further 3 years upon his merchandise from jail.

A spokesperson for the BBC said: "We are appalled by these crimes and our thoughts are with the victims successful this case."