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Former Scotland rugby captain Stuart Hogg has pleaded guilty to domestic abuse against his estranged wife, admitting to a pattern of harassment and aggression over five years.
The former Scotland rugby international Stuart Hogg has admitted to a pattern of abusive behavior toward his estranged wife spanning nearly five years.
The 32-year-old player appeared in Selkirk Sheriff Court on Monday where he pled guilty to a charge of domestic abuse involving multiple instances of aggression, intimidation and harassment directed at his wife Gillian Hogg.
Hogg, a father of four and former captain of the Scotland rugby team, entered court flanked by his parents Margaret and John.
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He acknowledged a single charge that encompassed a prolonged period of alleged abuse from 2019 to 2024 which occurred across several locations including the Scottish Borders, Glasgow and Exeter.
Hogg, who currently plays for the French club Montpellier, now resides abroad as he proceeds with divorce arrangements.
“Stuart Hogg and Gillian Hogg are a married couple in the process of a divorce. They have four children. Over the course of their marriage, they lived in Hawick, Scottish Borders, Glasgow, and Exeter, before moving back to the Borders, where they split in 2023," said the prosecutor Drew Long .
According to Long, the relationship's deterioration led Mrs. Hogg to seek support from a domestic abuse service in early 2023.
Long explained that Hogg’s behavior included verbal aggression, harassment through excessive messaging and tracking his wife’s movements.
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The court heard Hogg would “shout and swear and accuse her of not being fun” when she chose not to join his drinking sessions.
On one occasion, Hogg sent more than 200 text messages within a few hours, which led Mrs. Hogg to experience a panic attack.
Long described how Hogg’s repeated messaging and control over Mrs. Hogg's movements caused ongoing fear and distress.
During their marriage, the Hoggs moved to Glasgow to advance Hogg’s rugby career, where tensions reportedly escalated.
Moving to Exeter in 2019, the family initially consisted of three young children under the age of three, with a fourth born later.
According to Long, it was during this period that Hogg's behavior “deteriorated” as he frequently went out partying with colleagues and became increasingly critical and aggressive toward his wife.
In one particular incident, Mrs. Hogg, out with friends, was allegedly bombarded with messages from Hogg that drew the attention of those around her.
Following a move back to Hawick in 2023, Hogg reportedly used an app to monitor Mrs. Hogg's location, questioning her whereabouts and, at times, becoming belligerent. Eventually, in February 2024, Hogg entered the family home without permission, which led Mrs. Hogg to seek legal advice.
In February 2024, police were called to the Hogg residence due to shouting and aggressive behavior.
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Hogg was taken into custody and was later released on a bail order with strict conditions, including prohibitions on contacting Mrs. Hogg or entering the family home.
Despite these restrictions, Hogg violated the order in August 2024 by attempting to communicate with his wife during a video call with their children.
Defense lawyer Angela Gray KC argued, “The incidents in isolation would have been unlikely to reach the threshold required for a prosecution in the criminal courts.”
She added that Hogg “accepts these incidents have in isolation fallen short of what is expected of a husband. It is accepted by Mr. Hogg that his conduct, looked at within that framework [of the Domestic Abuse Act 2018], was criminal in nature.”
Sheriff Peter Paterson deferred sentencing until December 5 at Jedburgh Sheriff Court and upheld the existing bail conditions that restrict Hogg’s contact with his estranged wife.
The couple now in divorce proceedings share four children who have been affected by the tumultuous relationship breakdown.
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