A shamed Scottish rugby international has avoided jail after being convicted of abusing his girlfriend
Rufus McLean, who played for Glasgow Warriors prior to his contract being terminated following his guilty plea, admitted the charges at Edinburgh Sheriff Court in January.
The 23-year-old winger subjected his 21-year-old girlfriend to a two-year ordeal, including controlling what she wore, where she went and who she met, the Daily Record reports.
McLean admitted demanding passwords to her social media accounts and keeping a tracker device running on her phone.
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He left her with a a burst lip and black eye after pushing her off him during one incident.
Mclean, who has three Scottish international caps, appeared for sentencing at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Thursday. He was told his offences meant the “threshold for a custodial sentence had been crossed”.
But Sheriff Matthew Auchincloss said there were alternatives to custody available and imposed 120 hours of community service.
He also gave McLean a non-harassment order banning him from approaching or contacting his ex-partner for ten years.
The court previously heard how the couple had been in an “on-off” relationship for four years and were together “properly” for just over two years between April 2019 and May 2021.
She had described McLean as “emotionally abusive and controlling”.
On Wednesday Sheriff Matthew Auchincloss said he accepted McLean didn’t intend to “cause harm”.
He added: “But given the extended period of time, and the nature of the behaviour, you were reckless about whether harm would have been caused.”
The sheriff said McLean had caused “significant harm to his former partner”, but was a first offender and a young person who has the “capacity to change”.
Sheriff Auchincloss said he recognised the “dynamics” of the couple’s relationship “may have been difficult” and both had faced “significant challenges”.
He added: “You have shown remorse and shame and recognise the hurt and fear you caused your ex-partner.”
McLean wasn’t placed in the Caledonian men’s programme, which tries to address domestic offending, as he had already carried out “equivalent” counselling work making it unnecessary, the sheriff added.
Earlier defence agent Iain Smith said his client had “matured significantly”, adding: “He is fully accountable, he’s remorseful, he has a high degree of insight, and regrets what happened.”
In January the court was told McLean’s partner was on holiday with friends in Spain in 2019 when he “took exception” to what she was wearing after seeing a social media post.
He messaged her to say she looked like a “sl*g” and told her to change clothes. But she refused and went out. McLean then continued to message her, and her friends, and told her to leave the club.
In January 2021, the couple were at McLean’s Glasgow flat when she woke him up to talk. McLean pushed her off him, causing her lip to be burst and a black eye to appear. She was left “frightened” by the incident and took photos of her injuries to show her mum.
In March 2020, the pair were in Edinburgh when McLean spotted a photo on her Instagram feed of her with a man she had previously dated.
The court heard McLean said, “What the f**k is this?” and became “irate”. He pushed her on the chest and she fell. Police were alerted and she told officers McLean would often message her friends to find out where she was and demanded she turn on the “location services” function on her phone so he could check up on her.
Boston-born McLean, an ex-pupil of boarding school Merchiston Castle in Edinburgh – where fees can be more than £12,000 per term – made his Scotland debut against Tonga in 2021.
He pled guilty to engaging in a course of abusive behaviour towards his partner or ex-partner between April 4 2019 and January 7 2021.
McLean, who was born in the United States and made 26 appearances for Glasgow Warriors prior to his removal.
A statement from the club said: "Glasgow Warriors fully acknowledges the seriousness of domestic abuse and recognises the impact it has on the mental and physical welfare of those affected by it.
"The club was already working with Police Scotland to support and promote its male education campaign don't be THAT GUY and further workshops are planned in the coming weeks.
"Glasgow Warriors prides itself on being a family-centred club and are proud to always represent our fans and our city.
"Rufus admitted domestic abuse and his actions cannot be condoned which has resulted in his employment with Glasgow Warriors ending. We have taken this matter extremely seriously. Sadly, with any crime there is a victim and as a club we want to acknowledge the impact on the young woman involved.
"We are committed to ensuring our players continue to be positive role models and recognise the privileged positions they hold. We found the recent work with Police Scotland on male education to be hugely instructive and we are grateful for the opportunity to continue working with them in the near future."
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