SELKIRK, Scotland (AP) — Former Scotland rugby captain Stuart Hogg has been sentenced to a community payback order after admitting to abusing his estranged wife over a five-year period.
Hogg pleaded guilty to a single charge of domestic abuse against his ex-partner Gillian Hogg when he appeared at Selkirk Sheriff Court on Nov. 4. He admitted shouting and swearing, tracking her movements and sending her messages which were of an alarming and distressing nature.
Sheriff Peter Paterson sentenced Hogg to a community order with one year’s supervision when he appeared at Selkirk Sheriff Court for sentencing on Thursday, the British Press Association reported.
Paterson said the sentence was an “alternative to custody.”
He also imposed a further non-harassment order preventing Hogg from approaching or contacting Gillian Hogg for five years, mirroring an order imposed last month.
Stuart Hogg, wearing a dark jacket and tie, did not speak as he left the court.
Stuart Hogg was already banned from approaching or contacting Gillian Hogg for five years in December after he admitted breaching bail conditions by repeatedly contacting her in June, when she received 28 texts from him in one night.
Hogg, who retired from professional rugby in 2023 but returned after signing for French club Montpellier, lives abroad and is in the process of divorcing his wife.
Hogg came through Scotland’s age groups and made his senior debut in the 2012 Six Nations. He was player of the tournament in 2016 and 2017. He was named captain in 2020.
He was awarded an MBE for services to rugby in last year’s British New Year's honors list.
AP rugby: https://apnews.com/hub/rugby
Former Scotland rugby captain Stuart Hogg leaves Selkirk Sheriff Court in Selkirk, Scotland, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (Andrew Milligan/PA via AP)
FILE - Scotland's Stuart Hogg reacts at the end of the rugby union international match between Scotland and New Zealand in Edinburgh, Scotland, Sunday, Nov. 13, 2022. (AP Photo/Scott Heppell, File)
Former Scotland rugby captain Stuart Hogg leaves Selkirk Sheriff Court in Selkirk, Scotland, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (Andrew Milligan/PA via AP)
PARIS (AP) — A Paris court is to rule on Monday in a case involving 10 people accused of cyberbullying French first lady Brigitte Macron by spreading false online claims about her gender and sexuality, allegations her daughter said damaged her health and family life.
The defendants, eight men and two women aged 41 to 60, are accused of posting “numerous malicious comments” falsely claiming that President Emmanuel Macron ’s wife was born a man and linking the 24-year age gap with her husband to pedophilia. Some of the posts were viewed tens of thousands of times.
Brigitte Macron did not attend the two-day trial in October.
Her daughter, Tiphaine Auzière, testified about what she described as the “deterioration” of her mother’s life since the online harassment intensified. “She cannot ignore the horrible things said about her,” Auzière told the court. She said the impact has extended to the entire family, including Macron’s grandchildren.
Defendant Delphine Jegousse, 51, who is known as Amandine Roy and describes herself as a medium and an author, is considered as having played a major role in spreading the rumor after she released a four-hour video on her YouTube channel in 2021.
The X account of Aurélien Poirson-Atlan, 41, known as Zoé Sagan on social media, was suspended in 2024 after his name was cited in several judicial investigations.
Other defendants include an elected official, a teacher and a computer scientist. Several told the court their comments were intended as humor or satire and said they did not understand why they were being prosecuted. They face up to two years in prison if convicted.
The case follows years of conspiracy theories falsely alleging that Brigitte Macron was born under the name Jean-Michel Trogneux, which is actually the name of her brother. The Macrons have also filed a defamation suit in the United States against conservative influencer Candace Owens.
The Macrons, who have been married since 2007, first met at the high school where he was a student and she was a teacher. Brigitte Macron, 24 years her husband’s senior, was then called Brigitte Auzière, a married mother of three.
Emmanuel Macron, 48, has been France’s president since 2017.
FILE - French President's wife Brigitte Macron arrives ahead of the ceremony outside "La Belle Equipe" bar, Thursday Nov. 13, 2025 in Paris as part of ceremonies marking the 10th anniversary of terrorist attacks. (Ludovic Marin, Pool photo via AP, File)
