Actor Found Guilty
River City actor Iain Robertson convicted of rape and sexual offences against women.
Key Points
Jurors heard that Robertson pounced on a single occasion between 2018 and 2019 and carried out a separate sexual assault on the same woman; she testified that she did not want anything sexual and that her boundaries were ignored, stating 'I do not think he believed me.'
The rape victim's evidence was presented via a pre-recorded testimony that was played to jurors during the trial.
An eighth charge relating to one of the women was withdrawn by the prosecution during the proceedings.
The allegations involve Robertson’s connections to River City, noting that the accuser knew him through work on the BBC soap and that the case spans offences across a lengthy period including years when the show was a high-profile project.
Scottish actor Iain Robertson, 45, has been found guilty of rape and four other sexual offences against three women, a Glasgow High Court jury ruled on June 23, 2026. The former BAFTA winner, best known for playing Stevie O'Hara on BBC Scotland's River City, was remanded in custody immediately after the verdicts were returned. The Herald reports sentencing is scheduled for July 23, 2026, at the High Court in Edinburgh.
The guilty verdicts cover offences spanning 16 years, from 2004 to 2020. Robertson had denied all seven remaining charges, arguing throughout the trial that any sexual contact was consensual. A jury rejected that defence and convicted him on five counts.
Rape Victim Said Her Boundaries Were Ignored
The most serious conviction centres on a woman, aged 36, who met Robertson through their shared work on River City. The Herald reports that during an incident at his Tradeston home between 2018 and 2019, she remained "limp" and "unresponsive" while he raped her. She later testified that she had made clear she wanted only a platonic relationship.
Her evidence was delivered to jurors via a pre-recorded video testimony. In it, she said Robertson told her she was "in denial" about having feelings for him. "I do not think he believed me," she told the court, according to The Independent. Jurors also heard he carried out a separate sexual assault on the same woman during the same period.
Offences Stretched Across 16 Years and Three Women
The convictions involve three separate women. STV News reports that a second victim, now 48, testified about a sexual assault in September 2007 at a group gathering in the Lake District. Robertson reportedly forced himself on her in a bedroom after becoming moody during a social game.
A third woman gave evidence about a course of threatening and abusive behaviour, including being dragged by the hair, between December 2013 and July 2015, according to The Independent. The prosecution brought eight charges in total. One charge was withdrawn during the trial, leaving seven for the jury to consider. Robertson was found guilty on five of those seven counts.
Robertson Took the Stand but Jury Rejected His Defence
Robertson testified in his own defence on June 18, 2026. He claimed the women had initiated sexual contact and denied any non-consensual acts, according to The Herald. Lead prosecutor John Keenan KC argued the opposite — that Robertson repeatedly refused to accept "no" as a final answer and used his position to pressure women he knew.
Robertson had previously spoken publicly about overcoming heavy alcohol use, claiming to have turned his life around by 2017, according to Glasgow Times. BBC Scotland removed him from River City in early 2024 once the criminal charges became known. His BAFTA came for his role in the 1999 film The Debt Collector alongside Billy Connolly.
Robertson Faces Sex Offenders Register and Likely Jail Term
Robertson was remanded in custody after the verdicts on June 23. Background reports were ordered before sentencing, a standard step in serious sexual offence cases in Scotland. The Herald notes that because he was convicted of rape, he faces mandatory lifelong inclusion on the Sex Offenders Register once sentenced.
Sentencing will take place on July 23, 2026, at the High Court in Edinburgh. Legal experts quoted by STV News expect a lengthy jail term. Robertson's conviction effectively ends his career in British television, with both BBC Scotland and STV unlikely to work with him again following the gravity of the verdicts.
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