Stuart Hogg’s estranged wife has spoken out about his sentence for domestic abuse – saying it’s inadequate as punishment.
Gillian Hogg openly criticised the decision after the 32-year-old ex-Scotland skipper and current Montpellier player was allowed to leave court freely last Thursday.
Hogg’s possible sentences could have ranged from imprisonment, mandatory unpaid work, a fine, or an electronic monitoring tag with a daily curfew, following his five-year pattern of abusive behaviour. Despite this, he received a Community Payback Order that entails social worker supervision for offences including using an app to track Gillian and incessantly harassing her via distressing messages—sending 200 in a matter of hours.
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Prior to this, he was hit with a £600 fine and served with a five-year non-harassment order for violating bail terms. The mother-of-four expressed her disappointment, telling The Scottish Sun: “I feel like Stuart’s had absolutely no punishment. My first thought was, is that it? It’s not enough.
“No sentence will ever be enough for all of the abuse, heartache and pain he put me through for years. It feels like that hasn’t been acknowledged. I’m very happy with the fact that I never need to deal with him, have nothing to do with him for five years. That is a massive relief and I’m just looking forward to moving on in my own life.”
During sentencing, Sheriff Peter Paterson made an exception for Hogg, excusing him from attending a March 25 progress review to ensure he is adhering to the supervision. Addressing Jedburgh Sheriff Court, he said: “I am going to impose a community payback order with supervision. There will be a review of that on the 25th March.”
He added: “As far as the order is concerned I have no doubt Mr Hogg will comply. The reason why I think a review is appropriate is that it is an unusual order. I want to be satisfied that the order is working satisfactorily. It may be that if I receive a satisfactory review report then we can excuse Mr Hogg’s attendance at the hearing because there is no point in interrupting his career.”
Gillian, aged 38, expressed her dismay to, saying: “His career should never have been brought up.”
Following these events, there are now calls for Hogg to be stripped of his MBE.
He had previously admitted to a single charge of domestic abuse spanning from 2019 to 2024. Prosecutor Drew Long described how Hogg’s “behaviour deteriorated” after moving to England when he signed with Exeter Chiefs in 2019, leading to family noticing a change in Gillian.
In a later incident, while she was out, she received numerous messages from Hogg which drew the attention of her companions, as reported in court.
Hogg utilised an app to monitor his wife and “questioned her whereabouts” after they relocated to Hawick, Roxburghshire, in 2023. Gillian decided to end her marriage with the father of her four children and sought guidance from a domestic abuse service.
She experienced a panic attack that September when he inundated her with 200 messages “despite being asked to leave her alone”. Police were summoned to the family residence last February due to the former Glasgow Warriors full-back’s “shouting and swearing”.
He received bail but was instructed not to contact Gillian or enter her residence. Hogg was scheduled for sentencing on the domestic abuse charge last month.
However, Sheriff Paterson postponed the sentencing until Thursday to gain clarity on how the community order would be implemented while he resided abroad. In December, Hogg’s solicitor Angela Gray KC informed the court that he would stay in France until at least March.
He declared his retirement from professional rugby in July 2023. Nevertheless, he announced a return to the sport last summer, signing a two-year deal with a French team, following his MBE recognition for services to rugby last year.
Last night, SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn commented on X, previously known as Twitter: “He should be stripped of his MBE.”
Dr Marsha Scott from Scottish Women’s Aid remarked: “We have a long history of sentencing domestic abuse offenders to what are essentially trivial punishments. I can’t imagine anyone thinking that a £600 fine and a year of supervision is adequate for five years of terror.”