I hate how when people talk about what happened with Katie they act like Rob is some cold blooded murderer. He didn't go there with the intention to kill Katie. He didn't even know Katie would be there. He went to Wylie's to meet up with Aaron and it was Aaron who got Katie to go there (because he was upset about the wedding and was planning on outing Rob). Katie then saw Aaron and Rob kissing and took a pic of them and was planning on outing Rob to Chrissie.
Rob and Katie then argued over her phone (that had a picture she had taken of him kissing Aaron on it) and over her planning on going to tell Chrissie. He grabbed her and threw her back into a room to stop her from leaving and when he did the floor (which was wood and all rotted) broke apart and she fell down through some glass windows to the basement and died.
Yes Robert's actions played a part in why she died but there's no way he could have known that part of the floor was rotten. Plus this was him right after it happened:
He was in shock. He wasn't gloating and happy she was dead.
Rob did some fcked up stuff to Katie but I think a part of him always loved her, not in the same way he loves Aaron (because that's his soulmate) just in that Katie was his first real love. I don't think he ever wanted anything like this to happen to her. You can also tell in how anytime the subject of Katie has come up Rob definitely still seems haunted by what happened.
Rob also talked about how he didn't mean for Katie to die when he tells Andy about what happened. And sure you could argue he was lying to cover his own ass but I don't think he was in this convo. He admits to pushing her and that the floor giving way surprised him. Rob has definitely told his share of lies but this convo between him and Andy felt more like Rob was finally able to open up and be honest about this thing he'd carried around with him all year.
I know in the real world Rob would and should face consequences for his role in Katie's death but then so should ever other character in the village for every messed up thing they've done. And some have definitely been worse than Rob accidently killing Katie. Which I will die on the hill that it was an accident and should be talked about that way. I think Rob covering it up and lying about it for like a year was way worse than his part in how Katie died.
And before anyone says well Rob also said "I killed the bitch" to Andy. That was literally in the middle of him and Andy fighting and almost killing each other. Also that wasn't even the whole quote.
Rob and Andy are talking about Andy trying to have Rob killed (the whole Who shot Rob thing) and Rob says: You really hate me that much? Andy: You killed Katie. Rob: I didn't kill Ka.. You know what I'm fed up with telling you that it was an accident. You want to believe I killed her fine I killed the bitch. So you tried to kill me. No actually you got someone else to do it and you let Aaron take the blame. You coward.
He only said "I killed the bitch" because he knew it would hurt Andy and he was angry and hurt at Andy being the one who tried to kill him. And for the fact that Andy still didn't believe him about Katie.
Also another time Rob talked about Katie was when he told Aaron the truth about him and Katie getting into a fight before she died (that was when Aaron had punched him).
Aaron: Was my mom right about you? Did you murder her? Rob: No. Aaron: You admitted it you said you killed her. Rob: She fell. It was like I said it was an accident. But it's still my fault. I wound her up. I threatened her. I made her life miserable. I never wanted it to end like that I swear I didn't. All I wanted was for her to keep her mouth shut.
I just hate that whenever Rob is talked about some people still to this day act like he's the most evil villain the Dales have ever seen or they lump him in with the likes of Lachlan, Meena, Carl, Emma, etc when all of them did things that were way worse than anything Rob ever did.
Almost all of the the characters have done messed up stuff. Like I love Aaron but I could practically write a novel of the messed up things he's done. Which I'm not saying that in judgment (he's one of my fav characters of all time) just that there's always been a double standard between Robert and Aaron both on the show and in fandom. I mean even with Katie's death Aaron played a part in that too and that's almost never talked about. Katie wouldn't have even been there if not for Aaron and Aaron helped to cover up her death too.
I just will always be on the Robert Sugden defense squad because while lord knows he can be a smug bastard trash king and get up to all kinds of shenanigans (and god love him for it) no one loves as fiercely or is as protective over the ones he loves quite like Rob. I also feel like for as much as Rob has screwed up over and over he has also always continued trying to be a better person for the people he loves (for Aaron most of all).