Ex-Scotland rugby captain Stuart Hogg is fined £600 and advised to avoid his estranged spouse for 5 years after repeatedly contacting her
- Hogg pleaded guilty to a single charge of domestic abuse against ex Gillian Hogg
Former Scotland rugby union captain Stuart Hogg has been sentenced to a five-year non-harassment order and fined after breaching bail conditions.
Sentencing of the the ex-Scotland international for abusing his estranged wife over the course of five years has been deferred until January 9.
This comes as the court awaits clarification on whether a community order with remotely monitored supervision can be imposed.
Hogg today received a £600 fine and £40 victim surcharge.
The non-harassment order means he must not contact his wife after the court heard she had asked for him to be kept away from her for ‘as long as possible’.
Hogg earlier admitted breaching bail conditions by repeatedly contacting Gillian Hogg in June.
He pleaded guilty to a single charge of domestic abuse of Mrs Hogg when he appeared at Selkirk Sheriff Court on November 4.
Hogg admitted shouting and swearing, tracking Mrs Hogg’s movements and sending her messages which were alarming and distressing in nature.
Stuart Hogg leaves court following the sentencing. He received a £600 fine and £40 victim surcharge
The rugby player admitted a charge of domestic abuse under section one of the Domestic Abuse Scotland Act relating to ex-wife Gillian
The former Scotland rugby union captain Stuart Hogg has been sentenced to a five-year non-harassment order and fined after breaching bail conditions
The court previously heard he had berated his ex-wife for ‘not being fun’ after going on drinking binges with his colleagues, and once sent more than 200 text messages to her in the space of a few hours.
The sentencing in January will be at Selkirk Sheriff Court.
Hogg, who plays for French club Montpellier, now lives abroad and is in the process of a divorce, the court heard in November.
Prosecutor Drew Long said the couple moved to Exeter in 2019 with their three young children, all under three, but Hogg’s ‘behaviour deteriorated’ as he went out partying.
Mr Long said Hogg would ‘shout and swear and accuse Mrs Hogg of not being fun’ for not joining in drinking, and that her family ‘noticed a change in her’.In 2022, Mrs Hogg went on a night out and was bombarded with text messages from her husband which ‘caught the attention of the people she was with’, the court heard.
The following year, the couple moved to Hawick in the Borders, but Hogg used an app to track his wife and ‘questioned her whereabouts’ while she was dropping the children off, Mr Long told the court.
In 2023, Mrs Hogg decided to leave the rugby player and sought advice from a domestic abuse service.
The court heard that in September 2023, Hogg sent so many messages that it led Mrs Hogg to have a panic attack, and Hogg ‘sent in excess of 200 texts in a few hours despite being asked to leave her alone’.
Stuart Hogg is questioned by members of the press while leaving court
Stuart Hogg leaves court. He previously admitted shouting and swearing, tracking Mrs Hogg’s movements and sending her messages which were alarming and distressing in nature
Gillian Hogg took to social media in the wake of her estranged husband’s domestic abuse conviction
Earlier in the day a solemn Stuart Hogg had arrived at Jedburgh Sheriff Court for sentencing. Hogg was due to receive the verdict after he previously admitted in November to the five-year-long campaign of abuse against his ex-partner Gilllian Hogg
Members of the press question Stuart Hogg as he arrives at court to await the verdict of his sentencing
On February 21 this year, police were called due to Hogg ‘shouting and swearing’ and he was taken into custody and then placed on a bail order stipulating not to contact Mrs Hogg, or to enter the family home.
Hogg retired from professional rugby last July but this summer it was announced he was returning after signing for Montpellier on a two-year contract.
The former Glasgow Warriors and Exeter Chiefs player was made an MBE for services to the sport in this year’s New Year Honours list.
Gillian Hogg, 37, had broke her silence in November to thank those who supported her throughout her domestic abuse ordeal saying it was time to ‘start my next chapter and move on’.
The mother of Hogg’s four children, she previously took to social to say:
‘Thank you to every single person who has reached out to me in ways of love, kindness and support. Who have text, messaged, called, visited, sent flowers.
‘Who gave me a hi, a smile, a hug or even just a look to show they care.
‘My friends and family have picked me up and carried me through this all and I’ll be grateful forever for them all.
Hogg retired from professional rugby last July but this summer it was announced he was returning after signing for Montpellier on a two-year contract
The court heard that in September 2023, Hogg sent so many messages that it led Mrs Hogg to have a panic attack. Stuart Hogg is pictured arriving today at court
‘I have been completely overwhelmed this week especially. The abundance of support and love has swamped me in the most positive way. Thank you.
‘Now it’s time to start my next chapter.
‘To move on and to keep showing my kids every day that strength comes from unconditional love and support around you, and even when it hurts, love wins.’
It comes as Mrs Hogg had left her husband at the time in September that year. She had taken advice from a domestic abuse service and ‘no longer felt safe in her home’.
But, despite the breakup, the abuse continued and she was still inundated with calls and texts.
