Scottish rugby player Rufus McLean has avoided a jail sentence after being convicted of abusing his girlfriend.
McLean, who earned three caps for Scotland in 2021, has been ordered to do 120 hours of community service after admitting to pushing, abusing, and tracking his then girlfriend Cara Haston during a two-year period. The 23-year-old was sacked by Glasgow Warriors in January after pleading guilty to engaging in "emotionally abusive and controlling" behaviour.
Despite Sheriff Matthew Auchincloss stating that McLean's offences meant the "threshold for a custodial sentence had been crossed", he decided community service was an appropriate alternative. "You may not have intended to cause harm, however due to the extended period of time... you should have known there was a risk of harm from your behaviour," he said when sentencing McLean at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Thursday.
