Stuart Hogg’s wife believes the shamed rugby star has ‘had absolutely no punishment’ for subjecting her to a five-year campaign of domestic abuse.
The 32-year-old former Scotland captain was yesterday spared jailed after he pleaded guilty to a single charge of domestic abuse between 2019 and 2024.
The hulking fullback admitted making his ex-partner Gillian Hogg’s life a living hell, by berating her with foul messages and tracking her movements.
Hogg, who currently plays rugby for French side Montpellier, was given a Community Payback Order and will be supervised for 12 months for the torment he inflicted on the mother of his four children.
Hogg’s behaviour will be monitored remotely, meaning he will not have to come back to court from France for a review of whether his sentence is working ‘satisfactorily’.
But, Gillian, 38, said this was ‘not enough’, adding that it feels like the ‘abuse, heartache and pain’ he put her through ‘hasn’t been acknowledged’.
Gillian, who did not attend the hearing, also hit out at Sheriff Peter Paterson for saying ‘there is no point in interrupting’ Hogg’s rugby career after handing him a five-year non-harassment order.
Women’s Aid charity chiefs have also slammed the sentence as hardly meeting ‘the test of being proportionate’, while rape survivor Ellie Wilson said Hogg should lose his MBE, which he was awarded in last year’s New Year Honours list.
Stuart Hogg’s wife believes the shamed rugby star (pictured together) has ‘had absolutely no punishment’ for his for subjecting her to a five-year campaign of domestic abuse
The 32-year-old former Scotland (pictured) captain was yesterday spared jailed after he pleaded guilty to a single charge of domestic abuse between 2019 and 2024
Former Scotland rugby captain Stuart Hogg (centre) leaves Selkirk Sheriff Court, where he was sentenced to a community payback order on January 9
Gillian told The Scottish Sun: ‘His career should never have been brought up.’
‘I feel like Stuart’s had absolutely no punishment. My first thought was, is that it? It’s not enough.
‘I’m very happy with the fact that I never need to deal with him, have nothing to do with him for five years.’
Gillian added that Hogg’s sentencing was a ‘massive relief’ and she is now looking forward to ‘moving on’ with her life’.
The couple are now divorcing.
Hogg was due to be sentenced on the domestic abuse charge last month but Sheriff Paterson deferred sentence until today for clarification on whether a community order with remotely monitored supervision can be imposed, as Hogg now lives abroad.
He is currently dating former jockey Leonna Mayor, 34, who is pregnant and has previously vowed to stick by him.
The 5ft 9in rugby union star, dressed in a navy blue coat and blue zip-up sweater, with a shirt and tie underneath, appeared glum as he made his way through a media scrum into Selkirk Sheriff Court for his sentencing hearing on Thursday.
Gillian Hogg (pictured) was abused during her relationship with Hogg whose behavior would ‘get worse’ when he had been drinking, a court heard
Hogg is currently dating Leonna Mayor (pictured), 34, who is pregnant
The former jockey (pictured with Hogg) has vowed to stick by him
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 booze binges with his colleagues.
Speaking at a hearing in November, prosecutor Drew Long, told the court that Hogg’s behaviour became ‘worse’ when he had been drinking.
He said: ‘Gillian Hogg became scared when Mr Hogg got angry.
‘He got worse when he was drinking and Gillian would wish it was morning so he had sobered up…
‘When she was out with friends the accused would often message her to find out her movements.
‘In August 2023 Mrs Hogg was dropping kids off and received messages from Mr Hogg questioning her movements. It became clear to her that her husband was using an app to track her.
‘The following month she was out with friends and he called her and was shouting and swearing at her. He also sent her unpleasant messages which resulted in Mrs Hogg suffering a panic attack.
‘Following this Gillian contacted a lawyer who wrote to Hogg but this resulted in him turning up at her home and shouting and swearing….The accused would also shout at Gillian for “not being fun”.’
Hogg leaves court on Thursday after being sentenced for abusing his estranged wife
Hogg leaves Selkirk Sheriff Court on Thursday surrounded by police as he is questioned by members of the press
Mr 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.
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.
Hogg also ‘sent in excess of 200 texts in a few hours despite being asked to leave her alone’, the court heard.
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.
Hogg is seen arriving on Thursday to find out his fate as he is sentenced for domestic abuse
Hogg was spared jail after admitting he abused his estranged wife over the course of five years
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.
Hogg, who has been capped for Scotland more than 100 times, was guarded by police as he fought his way through the press after the case and was driven away by his parents.
The court has previously heard Ms Hogg became ‘scared’ of her husband ‘due to his behaviour when drinking’
She described him as angry and controlling, and said when he was drinking she would ‘wish it to be morning as quickly as possible so he would sober up and things would stop’.
After suffering abuse, in 2023 Ms Hogg decided to split from her husband and ‘no longer felt safe in her home’.
Sheriff Paterson told Selkirk Sheriff Court: ‘I want to be satisfied that the order is working satisfactorily so it is for that reason I want a review.
‘It may be that if I receive a satisfactory review report then we can excuse Mr Hogg’s attendance at the hearing because there is no point in interrupting his career.
‘I am going to impose a community payback order with supervision. That will be for a period of one year.’
The court was told the date had been set for March 25.
And Sheriff Paterson added: ‘If the report is satisfactory then it may be that you don’t require to attend on that date.
‘I will also impose a non-harassment order that you have not to approach, contact or attempt to contact Gillian Hogg for a period of five-years from this date.
‘This is as an alternative to custody.’
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Author : rugby-247
Publish date : 2025-01-10 09:38:08
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