Rugby star Stuart Hogg avoids jail after admitting subjecting wife to five years of abuse
9 January 2025, 11:57
Rugby star Stuart Hogg has avoided jail despite admitting abusing his wife over five years.
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The former Scotland rugby captain, 32, admitted shouting and swearing at his estranged wife Gillian Hogg, tracking her movements and sending her alarming and distressing messages.
He had previously pleaded guilty to a single charge of domestic abuse on November 4.
Sheriff Peter Paterson sentenced Hogg to a community payback order with one year of supervision when he appeared at Selkirk Sheriff Court for sentencing on Thursday.
He also imposed another non-harassment order barring Hogg from approaching or contacting Mrs Hogg for five years, mirroring one imposed last month. He told Hogg the sentence is an "alternative to custody".
Hogg, wearing a dark jacket and tie, made no comment as he left court accompanied by his parents.
Police escorted him to a vehicle which pulled up to collect him as he walked past waiting media.
There will be a review of the order at Jedburgh Sheriff Court on March 25.
The sheriff said: "I've no reason to doubt that Mr Hogg will comply with the order. It is an unusual order, it is a hybrid."
Hogg had already been banned from approaching or contacting Mrs Hogg for five years in December after he admitted breaching bail conditions by repeatedly contacting her in June, when one night she received 28 texts from him.
Sheriff Paterson handed him the first five-year non-harassment order when he sentenced him for the bail conditions breach at Jedburgh Sheriff Court on December 5, and also fined him £600, with an additional £40 victim surcharge.
Hogg was also due to be sentenced on the domestic abuse charge last month but Sheriff Paterson deferred sentence until Thursday for clarification on whether a community order with remotely monitored supervision could be imposed, as Hogg now lives abroad.
In relation to the domestic abuse charge, the court previously heard the 32-year-old berated Mrs Hogg 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.
He had been due to stand trial at the same court in November but pleaded guilty that day to a charge of domestic abuse between 2019 and 2024 at locations including Hawick in the Scottish Borders.
Hogg, who plays for French club Montpellier, now lives abroad and is in the process of a divorce, the court heard that day.
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 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".
On February 21 last 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 in July 2023 but last 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 last year's New Year Honours list.
Lynne Barrie, procurator fiscal for Lothian and Borders, said: "Stuart Hogg has now been convicted and held accountable for subjecting his estranged wife to years of domestic abuse.
"The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service recognises the devastating impact of domestic abuse and is committed to the robust prosecution of offences, regardless of who the offender is.
"No-one should have to live in fear of a partner or former partner. The trauma suffered by victims - and children who witness these crimes - is significant.
"I would urge anyone affected by similar offending to come forward and report it.
"We will use all the tools available to us to secure justice, and you will be listened to and supported throughout the process."
