Former Scotland rugby captain Stuart Hogg has been sentenced to a five-year non-harassment order and fined after breaching bail conditions by contacting his estranged wife.
Hogg had his sentence for abusing Gillian Hogg over the course of five years deferred until January 9th for clarification on whether a community order with remotely monitored supervision can be imposed.
He previously admitted breaching bail conditions by repeatedly contacting Mrs Hogg in June.
Prosecutor Drew Long told Jedburgh Sheriff Court on Thursday there had been contact between Hogg and his ex-partner between June 26th and 30th this year, and one night she received 28 texts from him.
The Counter Ruck: the rugby newsletter from The Irish Times
Four of Ireland’s top five most admired sports people in 2024 are women
Coach says Connacht taking a ‘wait and see’ approach after Mack Hansen referee comments
Munster confirm Craig Casey will miss Six Nations as Nankivell could also face spell on sidelines
He said: “On the 29th of June it appears Mrs Hogg was on a night out. At 5.30am the following morning Mrs Hogg noted that she had received 28 text messages from Mr Hogg, five missed calls and a voice call or voice note lasting two minutes and 20 seconds.
“Later that day she had three further messages from him and she responded telling him to stop.”
He read out some of the messages, which included “Happy divorce, I will never forgive you for that”, “See you in court”, and “ridiculous, who is looking after the kids?”.
Long told the court the messages Hogg sent later in the day were “apologetic in tone”.
Sentencing Hogg for breaching the bail conditions, Sheriff Peter Paterson handed him a five-year non-harassment order, barring him from approaching or contacting Mrs Hogg.
He also fined him £600, with an additional £40 victim surcharge.
Hogg previously pleaded guilty to a single charge of domestic abuse of Mrs Hogg when he appeared at Selkirk Sheriff Court on November 4th.
He admitted shouting and swearing, tracking her movements and sending her messages which were alarming and distressing in nature.
The court previously heard he berated Mrs Hogg for “not being fun” after going on drinking binges with his colleagues, and once sent her more than 200 text messages in the space of a few hours which led her to have a panic attack.
Hogg now lives abroad and plays for French club Montpellier, and the court was previously told he is in the process of a divorce.
Angela Gray KC, representing Hogg, said on Thursday he will be remaining in France until at least March next year.
She also said Hogg accepts his behaviour was “unacceptable”, adding: “He has made mistakes and he has learned from them. He has taken the time to look inward and reflect.”
Sheriff Paterson said a report about Hogg placed before the court mentioned the Caledonian Men’s Programme, a behaviour programme for men convicted of domestic abuse.
He said: “There is a difficulty with that and that is that you are a non-resident of the UK. I cannot impose that at the moment. I’m not prepared to defer that till March when you may be returning.
“So I will defer sentence until January 9 for clarification about whether I can impose a community order with supervision to be monitored remotely.”
The sentencing in January will be at Selkirk Sheriff Court.
Hogg, dressed in a tweed jacket and dark tie, attended court on Thursday accompanied by his parents Margaret and John and made no comment as he left the building before driving away.
The 32-year-old had been due to stand trial on November 4th but pleaded guilty that day to a charge of domestic abuse, between 2019 and 2024 at locations including Hawick in the Scottish Borders.
Prosecutor Drew Long told the court last month that the couple moved to Exeter in 2019 with their three young children, all aged under three, but Hogg’s “behaviour deteriorated” as he went out partying.
Hogg would “shout and swear and accuse Mrs Hogg of not being fun” for not joining in drinking, and her family “noticed a change in her”, the court heard.
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 prosecutor said.
The following year, the couple moved to Hawick but Hogg used an app to track his wife and “questioned her whereabouts” while she was dropping the children off, Long told the court.
In 2023, Mrs Hogg decided to leave the rugby player and sought advice from a domestic abuse service.
On February 21st 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 year but in July this year it was announced that he would be 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.
