Domestic abuse charity hits out at sentence handed to former Scotland rugby captain Stuart Hogg
Last updated 12 hours ago
A charity which supports victims of domestic abuse is criticising the sentence given to former Scotland rugby captain Stuart Hogg, for a five-year campaign of abuse against his now estranged wife.
Women's Aid says the one-year Community Payback Order with supervision is not proportionate to the harm the 32-year-old Montpellier player caused.
CEO Dr Marsha Scott said: ‘’Children and women living with domestic abuse have said for decades that the impact of coercive control - the stalking, the micromanaging of mothering, of where they go, what they wear, what they're allowed to say - is far more traumatic than a physical assault. Â
"(It can have) a profound and lasting toll on survivors' mental, emotional, and physical well-being. Â
"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.
"Scotland may have the 'world's gold standard' domestic abuse law, but it is long past time that our systems catch up to the intent of the Scottish Parliament, and deliver the potential built into the law.
"Until that happens, that law is just a piece of paper if you're living with domestic abuse. Or perpetrating coercive control.
"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.’’
In Hogg's case, the court heard he would regularly shout and swear at his former partner, send her distressing messages and track her movements.
The former Glasgow Warriors and Exeter Chiefs player, who was described as being ‘angry’ and ‘controlling’ during the relationship, is also said to have left his victim scared by his behaviour when he had been drinking.
She reported ‘wishing for it to be morning as quickly as possible so that he would sober up and things would stop’.
Hogg admitted engaging in a course of behaviour that was abusive of his partner, or ex-partner, at addresses in the Scottish Borders, England and elsewhere, between April the 1st, 2019 and August the 17th, 2024.
And he has faced calls to be stripped of his MBE, awarded last year for services to rugby union.
Sheriff Peter Paterson told the full-back that he wouldn't interrupt Hogg's playing career.
But he has also issued a five-year non-harassment order which bans him from approaching or contacting Gillian Hogg, and warned any breach of that could land him back in the dock and facing jail.
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Police hope all the publicity surrounding the case will encourage more victims of domestic abuse to come forward.
They say no matter who you are - or who the perpetrators are - you can be assured of being fully supported by specialist officers and their partner agencies.
Lynne Barrie, procurator fiscal for Lothian and Borders, added: "Stuart Hogg has now been convicted and held accountable for subjecting his estranged wife to years of domestic abuse.
"The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service recognises the devastating impact of domestic abuse and is committed to the robust prosecution of offences, regardless of who the offender is.
"No-one should have to live in fear of a partner or former partner. The trauma suffered by victims - and children who witness these crimes - is significant.
"I would urge anyone affected by similar offending to come forward and report it."
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