In response to accusations of domestic abuse against his estranged wife, former Scotland rugby captain Stuart Hogg entered a guilty plea.
When Hogg appeared at Selkirk Sheriff Court, he acknowledged yelling, cursing, and acting abusively toward his wife, Gillian.
Additionally, he acknowledged that he had been following her around and sending her disturbing and upsetting messages on a regular basis.
The former Glasgow Warriors and Hawick player, who received 100 caps for Scotland, sent more than 200 messages in a few hours, the court heard. Due to background checks, Sheriff Peter Paterson postponed the sentencing until December 5.
A single accusation involving continuous violent behavior toward his now-estranged wife was admitted by Hogg, who presently plays for Montpellier in France.
He had a pattern of behavior that alarmed or frightened her for five years, until August of this year.
The court heard how the 32-year-old frequently yelled and cursed at his wife while they were living in Hawick and when Hogg was playing for Exeter Chiefs in Exeter.
She eventually sought help from domestic abuse agencies after experiencing a panic attack as a result of it.
In addition, Hogg was accused of sending his wife hundreds of texts over the course of a few hours and using the Find My Phone app to track her whereabouts after they divorced in 2023.
The sentencing has been postponed until December 5th, when Hogg’s legal team will present a comprehensive mitigation.
He was granted bail by Sheriff Peter Paterson until that date in order to await reports, which included an evaluation of his restriction of liberty.
After accumulating 100 senior caps and participating in three British and Irish Lions trips, the fullback announced his retirement from rugby union prior to the World Cup last year.
He was named an MBE in the 2024 New Year’s honours list for his services to rugby union, and he continues to rank among Scotland’s all-time top try scorers.
In the summer, he signed a two-year contract with Montpellier after coming out of retirement.
