Girlfriend of Motherwell boss tells his assault trial she was responsible for incident that led to his arrest

Motherwell manager Stephen Robinson's girlfriend is telling a sheriff she's at fault for the incident that led to his arrest.

He appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court today after being lifted outside the city's Christmas Market in December.

Robyn Lauchlan, 28, said there was no violent contact between them and Stephen Robinson was trying to ensure her safety as she was intoxicated and “extremely dramatic”.

Robinson, 45, is on trial at Edinburgh Sheriff Court accused of assaulting Ms Lauchlan on the city's Waverley Bridge on December 13 last year.

He is accused of grabbing her, pushing and pulling her and pinning her against a fence.

The football manager, who denies both charges, is further accused of behaving in a threatening or abusive manner by shouting, swearing and acting aggressively.

Giving evidence, Ms Lauchlan said she wrote a letter to the procurator fiscal saying Robinson should not have been arrested.

The letter stated she was writing to “advise you of a misunderstanding which has taken place” leading to the case.

She wrote: “Under no circumstances did my partner do anything to justify his arrest given that he was trying to secure my safety.”

Giving evidence, she told the court the letter was the truth and she was “storming through” Edinburgh's Christmas market on the evening of December 13 “crying quite dramatically” and barging into people.

She said there was “no violent contact” between the couple and only she was shouting and swearing.

Ms Lauchlan said Robinson held her arms and hands as he was trying to calm her down since she was being “extremely dramatic”.

“Stephen's sole concern was trying to get me home safely because I was acting like a bit of an idiot,” she said.

Questioned by fiscal depute Claire Crompton, she said witnesses “had assumed Stephen was the perpetrator and the reason for my distress when in fact he had nothing to do with it”.

Ms Lauchlan's letter stated she was intoxicated after having four glasses of wine in a bar in Edinburgh and became distressed after a man who had been speaking to Robinson there told her to shut up and Robinson did not intervene.

Witness Felicity Underdown, 19, told the court she saw the pair at around 7.30pm on December 13 outside the Waverley Bridge entrance to the Christmas market.

She said the woman looked “terrified” as Robinson “caged” her against a fence with his arms, “screaming in her face”.

Ms Underdown said: “She was crying, there were tears all down her face and she was shaking.”

She said Robinson grabbed the woman and pulled her and was swearing but she could not recall what was being said.

Security guard Dawn Webster called colleagues after seeing Robinson allegedly yank Ms Lauchlan's handbag and said he later got the tearful woman “up against the railings”.

Under examination by Ms Duff, Miss Webster said she could not directly see Robinson's hand on the bag as Ms Lauchlan was in front of him.

The trial, before Sheriff John Cook, continues on Friday.

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