Ex-Arsenal football star Anthony Stokes, 31, is back together with girlfriend despite admitting terrifying stalking campaign when he texted her 100 times a day from his six mobile phones
- Anthony Stokes bombarded Eilidh Scott with a string of abusive messages
- He labelled her a ‘s**t’, a ‘s**g’ and a ‘w***e’ and turned up at her home in Shotts
- Stokes also demanded to know her whereabouts and pestered her mother
- Sheriff Alasdair MacFadyen deferred sentence until September for reports
Former Celtic footballer Anthony Stokes appears to be back together with his girlfriend despite admitting to a terrifying stalking campaign.
The 31-year-old striker, who started his career at Arsenal, bombarded Eilidh Scott, 27, with a string of abusive messages that saw him send 100 texts a day.
He labelled her a ‘s**t’, a ‘s**g’ and a ‘w***e’ and turned up at her home in Shotts, Lanarkshire, late at night.
But now the pair appear to have rekindled their romance, as Stokes’ defence lawyer Michael Gallen said ‘they are both keen to put this behind them’.
Sheriff Alasdair MacFadyen also said that the pair had ‘reconciled’ but the relationship was ‘on-off’.
Former Celtic footballer Anthony Stokes, pictured, has admitted stalking his girlfriend by texting her 100 times a day
But now Stokes appears to be back with his girlfriend, Eilidh Scott, after the trial. Stokes’ defence lawyer Michael Gallen said ‘they are both keen to put this behind them’
Stokes, who has a two-year-old son with Miss Scott, has appeared at Hamilton Sheriff Court and admitted stalking Miss Scott and her mother May between July last year and February.
Depute fiscal Lynn McFauld said: ‘Contact was made using six different mobile phones all attributable to the UK and one which was an international number.
‘In July she attended at a friend’s house for a girls’ night in and received numerous calls, texts, WhatsApp and Facetime messages from the accused but declined to answer them.
‘She was becoming extremely uncomfortable and agitated by this and eventually accepted a Facetime message hoping that if she spoke to him he would desist and let her enjoy her night.
The footballer labelled his girlfriend a ‘s**t’, a ‘s**g’ and a ‘w***e’ and turned up at her home in Shotts, Lanarkshire, late at night
‘He immediately demanded to know where she was and who she was with and was clearly angry and agitated.’
The court heard Stokes arrived at her mother’s home later the same evening and confronted Miss Scott when she arrived home.
Her mother called her to say he was banging on the door, shouting through the letter box and sitting outside facing the family home.
Miss McFauld added: ‘At 1am the complainer’s friend’s boyfriend arrived back in order to take her home.
‘She advised him to drive her to her front door so she could get in and then she and her mother locked and secured the door.
‘The friend reversed out and observed a door of a vehicle opening which caused him to stop and the accused got out and asked “What is that all about?”.
‘He started walking towards the vehicle and rattled the window with his fist before demanding to know where the complainer had been and why she was being dropped off.
‘The witness was scared as to what might happen next and drove off but as he did the accused kicked the vehicle.
‘This was observed by the complainer who said her stomach was churning as he approached the house before calling her a s**g, a s**t, a w***e and demanded she open the door.
‘She later sent a message saying “you are stalking me, leave me alone” and later received an email from the accused saying “sorry for my reaction tonight, I just love you too much and snapped tonight”.’
Michael Gallen, defending, said: ‘He was working abroad and that may have contributed to him being isolated and the complainer being alone with a young child which put the relationship under strain.
Stokes won seven trophies in six seasons at Celtic and netted twice in Hibs’ 3-2 Scottish Cup win over Rangers in 2016
In 2017, Stokes and Miss Scott fell victim to cyber hacking, with more than 200 x-rated photos of the couple also released online
Earlier that year, Stokes was ordered to pay £195,000 to Elvis impersonator Anthony Bradley, pictured, for headbutting him in a nightclub, breaking his nose and smashing two of his teeth
‘I have discussed the detail of the case with him and he is embarrassed the way he has behaved to the mother of his child.
‘He has apologised and they are both keen to put this behind them.’
Sheriff Alasdair MacFadyen deferred sentence until September for reports and continued bail.
He added: ‘You engaged in a course of conduct that caused fear and alarm to your former partner and her mother.
‘It is not a case of an isolated incident but a course of conduct and I’m told that you and the woman have reconciled but have also been told it is on-off.
‘I want to have some enquiries made to see if there could be some intervention put in place to stop you behaving this way again to the complainer or to anyone else.’
Stokes won seven trophies in six seasons at Celtic and netted twice in Hibs’ 3-2 Scottish Cup win over Rangers in 2016.
Last year he joined Iranian team Tractor Sazi FC but has now signed a deal with Turkish second division side Adana Demirspor.
In 2017, Stokes and Miss Scott fell victim to cyber hacking, with more than 200 x-rated photos of the couple also released online, according to The Sun.
Stokes was also ordered to pay £195,000 (€230,000) for headbutting an Elvis impersonator in a nightclub, breaking his nose and smashing two of his teeth two months before the hack.
The Blackburn Rovers striker had already paid his victim £25,000 (€30,000) after the Dublin attack, but was ordered to pay a second, more expensive payout after being sued.
Former car park attendant Anthony Bradley, 53, was attacked by Stokes in the VIP section of what was then Buck Whaleys nightclub on Leeson Street in Dublin on June 8, 2013.
Mr Bradley, who was attacked because he ‘spilled his drink on Stokes’s friend’, took the case for damages to Ireland’s High Court.
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