Shamed rugby star Stuart Hogg is facing calls to be stripped of his MBE following his admission that he waged a campaign of domestic abuse against his estranged wife.
The 32-year-old is awaiting sentencing for abusing his wife Gillian over a five-year period by swearing at her, tracking her movements and bombarding her with unwanted text messages.
His behaviour, which it was claimed was exacerbated by alcohol, was so bad that Mrs Hogg was left scared and ‘no longer felt safe in her home’.
Now he is under pressure to ‘do the decent thing’ and hand back his MBE or have it withdrawn if he refuses.
The former Scotland captain received the gong in this year’s New Year’s Honours for services to rugby union while he was still subjecting his wife to domestic abuse.
Hogg admitted to abusing estranged wife Gillian, left over a five year period
Calls have been made for former Scotland captain Hogg to be stripped of his MBE
Yesterday Scottish Conservative MSP Pam Gosal, who has proposed a bill at Holyrood aimed at preventing domestic abuse, said: ‘After being convicted of such a serious offence, Stuart Hogg should do the decent thing and hand back his MBE.
‘If he refuses to do so, then I think stripping him of the award is something that should be considered.’
People who have received honours can have them withdrawn if they bring the system into disrepute by being convicted of a crime as recipients are expected to be ‘good citizens and role models’.
Former Glasgow Warriors full-back Hogg, who was capped 100 times for Scotland, has four children with his wife and his new girlfriend is pregnant with his fifth.
He refused to apologise to Mrs Hogg as he left Selkirk Sheriff Court on Monday after pleading guilty to a single charge of domestic abuse covering a period between 2019 and 2024. The couple are now divorcing.
Hogg’s current girlfriend, 34-year-old former jockey Leonna Mayor, also came under fire for ‘victim blaming’ after she launched an extraordinary attack on Mrs Hogg on social media.
Hogg’s new girlfriend Leonna Mayor launched an extraordinary online attack on Gillian
Hogg poses with Leonna Mayor in Turkey
Ms Mayor, who now works as a TV racing pundit, is standing by Hogg and has shared pictures online of her growing baby bump and a scan showing she is expecting a boy.
She posted on X to say ‘Nowhere near the full story here as there never is. I’m not worried about it’ when asked about Hogg being a convicted domestic abuser.
In a stinging attack on Mrs Hogg, she wrote: ‘Only her account. As she is the “victim”. Nothing from his side has been published yet’.
Another post – which was later deleted – said: ‘One charge…there were about 7 she made up.’
She also claimed that the press coverage of the hearing contained lies and inaccuracies and said she has ‘made him get help for his behaviours’.
‘I’m sick of the judging comments from people who know a very small percentage of the actual facts’, she said.
Hogg has retired from international rugby and now plays for French side Montpellier, though he is currently sidelined with a broken hand.
Scotland coach Gregor Townsend has spoken out to condemn any form of abuse.
He said: ‘I’m not going to comment on any specific cases, especially one that’s still ongoing. But on behalf of Scottish Rugby, we condemn any abuse.
‘I’m not going to comment on that specific case, but we condemn any abuse, whether that’s domestic, online, social, and that’s something we feel strongly about.’
The Cabinet Office, which deals with the honours system, said it does not comment on individual awards.
The Forfeiture Committee can act to remove an honour with the approval of the King.
The reasons for the decision ‘might include being found guilty of a criminal offence, behaviour which results in censure by a regulatory or a professional body, or any other behaviour that is deemed to bring the honours system into disrepute’.
Krishna Singh, a former GP from Lanarkshire, was stripped of his MBE last year after he was found guilty of sexually abusing 47 patients over a 35-year period.
He had been awarded the MBE in 2013 for services to healthcare.
Hugh Morgan-Williams, a former NHS chairman from North Yorkshire, had his MBE taken back last year after he admitted defrauding a privatised part of the probation service
Former Post Office boss Paula Vennells had her CBE formally withdrawn in February for ‘bringing the honours system into disrepute’.
She had said she would hand back the honour after facing fierce criticism for her role in the Horizon computer scandal, which saw hundreds of sub-postmasters prosecuted on the basis of faulty data.
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source link
