Former River City actor jailed for nine years after rape conviction

Iain Robertson was jailed for nine years at the High Court in Edinburgh after jurors convicted him of five sexual offences against women spanning 2004 to 2019. The 45-year-old, who played Stevie O'Hara in the BBC soap River City, had denied the allegations at trial.

The case was heard at the High Court in Glasgow, where jurors considered evidence involving four women and allegations that stretched across a wider period, from 2004 to 2020. Robertson, of Carbeth in Stirlingshire, was found guilty after a trial that placed repeated allegations over many years before the court rather than a single isolated incident.

His public profile drew wider attention to the proceedings. Robertson had also been described as a former Bafta winner and had appeared in Band of Brothers, adding a layer of scrutiny to a case that centred on serious sexual offences, not celebrity status. STV had said he was facing a lengthy jail term after the guilty verdict, and that sentence was handed down in Edinburgh on 23 July 2026.

The long gap between the first alleged conduct in 2004 and the end of the period covered by the charges in 2020 underlines how historic sexual offence cases can take years to reach resolution. In cases built around multiple complainants and incidents spread across time, the court record often becomes the first place those allegations are tested in full.

Anyone affected by rape or sexual assault in Scotland can contact Rape Crisis Scotland’s national helpline every day from 5pm to midnight on 08088 01 03 02. Text support is available on 07537 410 027, and email contact is support@rapecrisisscotland.org.uk.