Former Scotland rugby captain Stuart Hogg is due to be sentenced after he admitted abusing his estranged wife over the course of five years.
He previously pleaded guilty to a single charge of domestic abuse of his ex-partner, Gillian 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 more than 200 text messages to her in the space of a few hours.
Hogg will appear at Jedburgh Sheriff Court for sentencing on Thursday.
The 32-year-old had been due to stand trial at Selkirk Sheriff Court 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.
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 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”.
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 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.
