22 March 2023 , 12:28
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Former Great Britain and England rugby league star Gareth Hock has appeared in court charged with rape.
Hock, 39, is accused of ten offences in total, including ABH, assault by beating, coercive, controlling behaviour and perverting the course of justice.
Wearing a long coat and trousers, he spoke only to confirm his name and deny all the charges put before him at Bolton Crown court during a 15-minute hearing.
A ten-day trial was set by Judge Martin Walsh for April next year where the ex-Super League forward will be questioned by prosecutors, with a review hearing set for May.
He was bailed under specific conditions that included surrendering his passport, wearing a GPS tracking tag and sleeping every night at his home address.
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Hock, 39, has appeared in court charged with rape (Getty Images)Judge Walsh told Hock: "If you fail to attend when you are required to attend court, you’ll commit an offence for which you could be arrested and punished.
"If you fail to attend on the day fixed for trial, the trial could take place in your absence. Bail is granted to you subject to the conditions I have outlined."
Hock began his career with his hometown club Wigan Warriors in 2003 and made almost 200 appearances for the Cherry and Whites.
He earned four caps for Great Britain and five for England, for whom he played in the 2008 world cup in Australia.
He later went on to play for Widnes, Salford, Featherstone, Barrow and Leigh.
He retired as a player in 2019 after he made a total of 313 career appearances, scoring 81 tries.
In 2022, he set up a new business venture hiring out skips.