Ex-Celtic and Arsenal star Anthony Stokes behind bars after handing himself into Scots police station
FUGITIVE footballer Anthony Stokes has been put behind bars after handing himself into a police station in Scotland.
Ex-Celtic striker Stokes had repeatedly failed to appear in court to be sentenced for terrorising his ex-girlfriend.
His case has been hit with a string of delays and an arrest warrant was issued for him last October.
The 35-year-old – who also played for Arsenal under Arsène Wenger – flew from Dublin to Scotland yesterday and handed himself in at Motherwell police station.
He had been due to be sentenced at Hamilton Sheriff Court for sending his ex-partner Eilidh Scott and her dad offensive messages.
Stokes, of Dublin, has now appeared in court in handcuffs where Sheriff Diane Turner refused to grant him bail and remanded him in custody until next month while background reports are carried out.
Jim O’Dowd, defending, said Stokes had been ‘distracted’ by court proceedings against him in the Republic of Ireland.
The lawyer added: “He realises he finds himself in some difficulty here.
“He flew from Dublin and handed himself in at Motherwell police office last night and appears now today.
“The case has a bit of history and it won’t be lost on him, the court or myself that he has failed to turn up in the past and that the foremost in the court’s mind will be remanding him in custody.
“He tells me he had a condition previously where he had to sign on at London Road police station twice a week and he was doing that but he has another case in Dublin which distracted him for another serious matter.
“He is realistic about what might happen here but if fortunate enough to be granted bail he would follow all of the conditions imposed and turn up at court.”
Sheriff Turner said: “Given the nature of the charges, which include breaching bail orders, I will defer sentence for reports and you will be remanded in custody.”
Stokes had repeatedly messaged Scott and her father George despite being under a court order banning him from contacting them.
He also repeatedly phoned Miss Scott’s mother Rachel in breach of the same court order.
An arrest warrant was first taken for him in 2021 after he failed to appear to be sentenced over the charges.
Hours after it was taken, the brazen striker 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.
In 2019, Stokes admitted bombarding Scott with a string of abusive messages on WhatsApp and email.
He labelled her a ‘s**t’, a ‘s**’ and a ‘w***e’, turned up at her home in Shotts, Lanarkshire, late at night and demanded to know her whereabouts.
The campaign of abuse lasted between July 2018 and February 2019.
Stokes was handed a four-year non-harassment order against Scott and her parents in September 2019 and later placed on an anti-domestic abuse programme.