Anthony Stokes, the former Arsenal youngster and Celtic striker, is currently at large after failing to attend his sentencing at Hamilton Sheriff Court last week.

The case was intended to address Stokes’s abusive messages sent to his former partner, Eilidh Scott, and her father.

The striker’s non-appearance was another unwelcome chapter in a career laden with troubles, including a suspended sentence in 2018 for headbutting an Elvis impersonator.

Stokes was due to be sentenced last week for sending abusive messages to his former partner, Eilidh Scott, and her father.

His failure to appear has resulted in an arrest warrant, and he has been labelled a ‘flight risk’.

No explanation has been offered by his defence team for his absence.

Bobby Reid, defending, said: “I was due to appear with Mr Stokes today but have no explanation for his absence.”

Sheriff Macfarlane KC replied: “He didn’t attend the appointment for the social work report and is not here today therefore a warrant will be granted for his arrest.”

As the Daily Record report, “Sheriff Macfarlane issued a third warrant for his arrest following a brief hearing,” after issuing a previous two in relation to this case.

“The campaign of abuse lasted between July 2018 and February 2019,” they explain.

“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.”

Incident in Dublin

In 2018, Stokes received a two-year suspended sentence for an incident dating back to 2013 where he headbutted an Elvis impersonator at Buck Whaley’s nightclub in Dublin.

Pleading guilty to assault causing harm, Stokes offered to pay €300,000 as an expression of remorse, a gesture that the judge found acceptable.

At that time, Stokes was contracted to Blackburn Rovers and had made only seven appearances in the Championship for the club.

Going missing from clubs

Stokes’s professional career has also been marred by instances of going missing – literally.

In April 2018, Stokes found himself in disciplinary trouble with his then-club, Apollon Smyrini, in Greece. The  centre forward failed to attend training for three consecutive days without offering any explanation or apology.

The incident was not an isolated one in Stokes’s career. During his time in Scotland, he faced similar disciplinary issues that led to Neil Lennon, his then-manager at Hibernian, cutting his contract short.

Lennon had previously given Stokes multiple opportunities at both Hibs and Celtic but eventually grew frustrated with the player’s continued misconduct. “There’s only so many times you can push the envelope,” Lennon stated, underscoring the player’s failure to adhere to professional standards.

Further back, Stokes also encountered issues while playing for Sunderland under manager Roy Keane. Stokes was banned from a local nightclub, The Glass Spider, as Keane felt it was a distracting influence on the player.

Keane warned that Stokes had a choice to make about his career, stating, “He’ll go one way or the other, I’m sure.”

A journeyman career

Starting at Arsenal, Anthony Stokes barely got a glimpse of first-team football with only one one-minute appearance. Nevertheless, his career saw him flit from club to club, notching up a total of 420 appearances, 164 goals, and 82 assists across multiple leagues.

His most fruitful spell came at Celtic, where he scored 76 goals and provided 64 assists in 191 appearances. The Republic of Ireland international spent a significant amount of time on the pitch for Celtic, accumulating nearly 12,989 minutes.

After Celtic, he joined Hibernian FC and became a key figure, scoring 46 goals in 94 appearances. Yet, his career also took him to lesser-known territories. For instance, he moved to Iranian side Tractor FC, where he made 24 appearances and notched up 13 goals.

However, despite his ability to find the net, Stokes struggled to maintain consistent form in the UK, evident from his spells at Blackburn Rovers and Sheffield United where he made only 12 appearances for each.

Stokes’s frequent moves also saw him join clubs like Adana Demirspor, Apollon Smyrnis, and Persepolis FC, albeit for relatively short stints.

Falkirk and Crystal Palace are also on his list of clubs.

Despite only being 33 at the time, Stokes retired in 2020 less than a month after signing for Livingston FC, ending a tumultuous career that often attracted attention for the wrong reasons.