FOOTBALLER ANTHONY STOKES SENTENCED FOR BREACHING COURT ORDERS AND SOCIAL MEDIA ABUSE

Footballer Anthony Stokes has been sentenced to five months in jail after breaching court orders that prohibited him from contacting his ex-girlfriend and her family. The ex-Celtic and Hibs striker, aged 35, repeatedly messaged Eilidh Scott, accusing her of infidelity and questioning her ability as a mother. Stokes appeared at Hamilton Sheriff Court from custody, where Sheriff Colin Dunipace described Ms Scott's statement about Stokes' conduct as 'little short of chilling'. The court ordered Stokes, who resides in Dublin, to serve five months in prison and banned him from contacting Ms Scott for five years and her parents for one year. The sheriff emphasized the court's duty to protect women from such behavior, stating, 'You should be under no illusion that the duty of this court is to protect women from this sort of behaviour.' The sheriff also noted that Stokes had previously failed to comply with a community payback order and expressed doubt about his ability to abide by future court orders.Stokes had been previously told to stay away from Ms Scott due to abusive conduct. The case involved a series of incidents, including 14 emails sent by Stokes to Ms Scott and posts on his social media referencing her alleged infidelity. The abuse occurred between July 2018 and February 2019, during which Stokes called her names and turned up unannounced at her home demanding her whereabouts. He was issued a four-year non-harassment order against Ms Scott and her parents in September 2019, and was placed on an anti-domestic abuse programme. Despite this, he failed to appear at sentencing multiple times, with warrants issued against him in 2021 and 2022. Stokes was eventually located in Ireland, where he was arrested and brought to Britain, claiming he missed court hearings due to distractions related to ongoing legal proceedings in Ireland. He was held in HMP Addiewell, where he was kept in his cell for 23 hours a day over safety concerns. His legal representative stated that there was a significant change in his attitude towards his offences since being remanded in custody.