Iain Robertson, known for his role in the television series River City and a Bafta-winning actor for the film Small Faces, appeared in the High Court in Glasgow on Monday to deny multiple charges, including rape and assault. The 45-year-old faces seven charges relating to allegations against four women dating from 2004 to 2020.

During the trial before Lady Drummond, Robertson acknowledged personal struggles, including issues with alcohol, but firmly rejected the accusations. One of the claims, although not part of the formal charges, involved an alleged incident in the Lake District in September 2007, where a woman asserted that Robertson had non-consensual sex with her following a disagreement during a social gathering. The woman testified that Robertson, after becoming upset, forced himself on her in a bedroom. Robertson disputed this version, maintaining that the woman initiated the sexual encounter and that he was concerned about the noise possibly alerting others in the accommodation.

Robertson was also questioned regarding an alleged incident where he purportedly poured wine over the same woman and her university coursework, which he denied. His defense counsel, Gary Allan QC, challenged him on these points, to which Robertson responded he is “no angel” but firmly denied any wrongdoing.

Further charges relate to assault and threatening behaviour towards a second woman, an actress at the time, involving two separate incidents in 2014. The woman described being dragged by her hair and left in fear during an encounter at Robertson’s Glasgow flat. She told the court that the behaviour left her “scared, shaken and vulnerable” and that she ended their relationship, only for Robertson to persistently contact her through calls and messages. Robertson denied any harassment or tracking of her movements, and when asked about a scratch the woman said she had woken up with the following the alleged attack, he asserted he had no knowledge of how it occurred, suggesting feather pillows as a common cause of scratches.

In addition to these allegations, Robertson faces charges of raping another woman “on various occasions” between 2018 and 2019, as well as other offenses involving two further women. The actor has not worked professionally since departing River City in 2023.

The trial is ongoing, with proceedings set to continue as the court hears further testimony and evidence.