Footballer Anthony Stokes jailed for emailing ex-girlfriend he abused

Stokes pictured at a court in Dublin in 2017

Footballer Anthony Stokes has been jailed after breaching court orders against contacting his ex-girlfriend and her family.

The ex-Celtic and Hibs striker, 35, repeatedly messaged Eilidh Scott accusing her of being unfaithful and questioning her ability as a mother.

Stokes appeared at Hamilton Sheriff Court from custody.

Sheriff Colin Dunipace said Ms Scott's statement on Stokes' conduct was "little short of chilling".

He ordered Stokes, of Dublin, to be jailed for five months and banned him from contacting Ms Scott for five years and her parents for a year.

Sheriff Dunipace said: "You should be under no illusion that the duty of this court is to protect women from this sort of behaviour.

"You were advised when you were sentenced to a community payback order that it was a direct alternative to custody and yet you have failed to comply.

"I can have no confidence that you would abide by the terms of a further community order."

Social media abuse

Depute fiscal Fergus Warner told the court Stokes had sent 14 emails to Ms Scott in total.

"The accused also posted statuses on his social media profiles referencing her cheating on him," he said.

It came after Stokes admitted sending a string of abusive messages on WhatsApp and email to Ms Scott in September 2019.

He called her names and turned up at her home late at night and demanded to know her whereabouts.

The abuse lasted between July 2018 and February 2019.

Stokes was given a four-year non-harassment order against Ms Scott and her parents in September 2019 and later placed on an anti-domestic abuse programme.

An arrest warrant was first issued for him in 2021 after he failed to appear to be sentenced over the charges.

Hours after it was taken out, he posted a selfie on social media with the caption: "Any bad news?"

In July 2022, he was arrested in Northern Ireland and appeared in court via video link.

He was granted bail but again failed to appear and another warrant was issued before a third was taken in October last year.

Stokes flew from Dublin to Scotland last month and handed himself in at Motherwell police station.

He claimed he had failed to return to Scotland to face sentencing after becoming distracted by court proceedings against him in the Republic of Ireland.

He was held in HMP Addiewell where he was kept in his cell for 23 hours a day amid fears for his safety.

Jim O'Dowd, defending, said there had been "quite a sea change" in Stokes' attitude towards his offences since being remanded in prison.