Shamed rugby star Stuart Hogg should be stripped of his MBE after admitting a five-year campaign of abuse against his estranged wife, a rape survivor has said.
The 32-year-old former Scotland captain, who was awarded an MBE in last year’s New Year Honours list, admitted shouting and swearing at his wife, tracking her movements and bombarding her with texts.
He caused her to suffer a panic attack, berated her for ‘not being fun’ and sent ‘aggressive and hostile’ messages.
While women’s Aid charity chiefs blasted the sentence for not ‘meeting the test of being proportionate’, rape survivor Ellie Wilson said he should lose his MBE.
She said: ‘They’re supposed to reward people that have given back, are good role models, have made change.
‘Having someone who has been convicted of domestic abuse with an MBE, just cheapens the award.’
Ms Wilson, 27, who was raped by Daniel McFarlane in 2017 and 2018 while both were students at Glasgow University, became a justice campaigner after he was jailed for five years in 2022.
Hogg 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.
Shamed rugby star Stuart Hogg leaves his sentencing trial at Selkirk Sheriff Court on January 9
The rugby player admitted a charge of domestic abuse under section one of the Domestic Abuse Scotland Act relating to ex-wife Gillian (pictured together)
The rugby star is now dating former jockey Leonna Mayor, 34, (pictured) who has vowed to stick by him
The one-time rugby great had previously been given a five-year non-harassment order and fined £600 after breaching bail conditions.
At Selkirk Sheriff Court yesterday, Sheriff Peter Paterson said a court date to review Hogg’s progress on the payback order would be fixed for March 25 – but Hogg would not have to appear if the report was satisfactory ‘because there is no point in interrupting his career’.
Hogg now plays rugby for French side Montpellier, having previously quit the sport in 2023.
Some of Ms Hogg’s family were in court for the hearing, which lasted less than five minutes. Hogg spoke only to confirm his name.
Hogg, capped 100 times for Scotland, was guarded by police as he left court before being driven away by his parents.
He and his wife are now divorcing. Hogg’s current girlfriend is the TV presenter and former jockey Leonna Mayor.
The court 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’.
Dr Marsha Scott, chief executive of Scottish Women’s Aid, said: ‘Coercive control is the foundation upon which domestic abuse is built, exerting a profound and lasting toll on survivors’ mental, emotional and physical wellbeing.
The court heard the disgraced former Scotland rugby union skipper carried out the abuse during a five-year period
Hogg is seen arriving on Thursday to find out his fate as he is sentenced for domestic abuse
The rugby star is now dating former jockey Leonna Mayor, 34, (pictured) who has vowed to stick by him
Hogg leaves Selkirk Sheriff Court on Thursday surrounded by police as he is questioned by members of the press
‘This is why domestic abuse is often called ‘intimate terrorism’, which reflects the relentless tactics abusers use to dominate, manipulate and control their partners, creating a prison of fear that is invisible to those just looking for a physical injury.’
She added: ‘The sentence in this case, like so many handed down in Scotland, hardly meets the test of being proportionate when compared to the harm this man has caused.’
The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service said Hogg ‘has now been convicted and held accountable’.
It added that it is ‘committed to the robust prosecution of offences, regardless of who the offender is’.
Detective Sergeant Jade Wardell, of Police Scotland, said: ‘Without the victim coming forward and reporting these incidents to us, we would not have been able to ensure that Hogg faces the consequences.
‘Police Scotland will not tolerate domestic abuse of any kind.’
Montpellier rugby club did not wish to comment.
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