ROGUE footie star Anthony Stokes has been freed from prison halfway through a five-month sentence for terrorising his ex-girlfriend and her family.
The former Celtic striker is believed to have been let out earlier this month.
We told how the 35-year-old, from Dublin, was caged at Hamilton Sheriff Court in March for sending former partner Eilidh Scott’s dad, George, offensive messages.
His jail time was backdated to February 16 when he was remanded after turning himself in at a police station in Motherwell.
Under the law, prisoners serving a sentence of less than four years are released after half the term.
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In 2019, Stokes admitted bombarding Ms Scott, 33, with a string of abusive messages on WhatsApp and email, and was banned from approaching her or her family.
But in May 2021, he admitted bombarding George with offensive messages and repeatedly phoning Ms Scott’s mother, Rachel.
But he failed to appear at court for sentencing, and a warrant for his arrest was issued.
In July 2022, he was nicked in Northern Ireland.
He was granted bail but again failed to appear, and another warrant was issued before a third was taken out in October last year.
A source said: “Stokes spent years on the run.
"But he could not avoid sentencing forever.
“If he’d faced justice earlier, the whole sorry matter would have been over years ago.”