Rapist woke to find four detectives waiting for him

A former soldier who woke to find four detectives waiting for him has been jailed for five years.

Christopher Robertson, 39, began molesting the woman after she fell asleep and raped her after she awoke at his former home in Airdrie, North Lanarkshire.

The woman had been at a nightclub with friends before going on to a party, but decided to go home.

Robertson had been at a pub with friends and contacted her while she was trying to get a taxi and they went back to his then home.

She said she was tired and needed to go home but he suggested that she sleep at his house. She woke to find him lying on top of her subjecting her to an assault.

Robertson, formerly of Mavisbank Street, Airdrie, had denied raping the woman during an earlier trial but was convicted of the offence committed on December 9 in 2017.

A judge told Robertson at the High Court in Edinburgh: “You continue to deny your guilt and suggest that the complainer herself instigated sex.”

Lord Boyd of Duncansby said he had no doubt that the effects of Robertson’s offence will live with the victim for some time to come.

The judge told Robertson that he would be placed on the sex offenders’ register for an indefinite period following his sentencing.

Robertson claimed that he went to bed as he was tired and that the woman joined him and they started kissing before having sex.

He claimed that he fell asleep and was not aware of the woman leaving the house. He said: “The next thing I remember was waking up with four CID officers in the room.”

Defence solicitor advocate John Keenan said: “It would have to be accepted he was significantly under the influence of alcohol at the time this offence was committed.”

Mr Keenan said it was “a very serious offence” and Robertson appreciated that a prison sentence was inevitable.

He said the construction industry worker had previously served in the Army for four years and did two tours of duty as a soldier in Iraq.

Robertson followed the sentencing proceedings via a video link to Glasgow’s Barlinnie prison.