Witness tells court of ‘look of fear’

A WOMAN told how she has never seen anybody look as fearful as the partner of Motherwell FC manager Stephen Robinson when she was allegedly assaulted.

Felicity Underdown, 19, said she told Robinson to get his “f**king hands” off Robyn Lauchlan outside Edinburgh’s Christmas market last December 13.

The city’s sheriff court heard Felicity say she saw Robinson holding Robyn by the head.

But Robyn has denied being abused by Robinson on a night out.

She told the court how she had begun acting “extremely dramatically” after drinking alcohol.

She said Robinson had tried to comfort and console her at the moment other witnesses thought he was abusing her. Robinson, of Hamilton, denies charges of

BY JAMES MULHOLLAND reporters@dailyrecord.co.uk assaulting Robyn and behaving in a threatening and abusive manner.

Felicity told prosecution lawyer Claire Crompton that Robinson looked menacing and was verbally abusing his partner.

She said Robyn ran away from Robinson and added that she looked distressed following the incident and had make-up running down her face.

Felicity said: “She was terrified. I have never seen the look of fear on somebody’s face like that. She tried to turn and he grabbed her by the arms and pulled her back in.”

When Crompton asked Robyn why people might have thought Robinson was abusing her, she replied: “I was crying quite dramatically. I was banging into people. I was shouting and swearing.”

Robyn said Robinson was touching her during the alleged assault but that it was not aggressive.

Defence advocate Susan Duff read a letter which Robyn wrote to prosecutors in the days following Robinson’s arrest. In it, she said she hadn’t been assaulted by Robinson.

She said she, Robinson and her family had been in a wine bar and she had drunk four glasses of wine. She wrote that a man had invited himself into their company and started speaking to Robinson.

She attempted to become involved in the conversation but said the man told her to “shut up”.

She said that she became angry that Robinson did not defend her. Robyn said Robinson had tried to get her home and was trying to comfort her when Felicity witnessed what she believed to be the assault.

The trial continues.