The uncle of the Duchess of Cambridge has been sentenced for striking his wife with a “left hook” in the face during an argument. Gary Goldsmith was branded a “nasty drunk” by the court.
The 52-year-old pleaded guilty to one count of assault by beating. He was sentenced on Tuesday at Westminster Magistrates’ Court after he knocked Julie-Ann Goldsmith, 47, to the ground after she accused him of taking drugs during a drunken fight.
Goldsmith, the younger brother of Kate Middleton’s mother, was sentenced to a 12-month community order with 20 sessions of rehabilitation. He was also fined £5,000 and ordered to pay a £170 victim surcharge.
The incident took place outside the Goldsmiths’ home in central London after the couple attended a charity event. They had been in a taxi where they began to argue. The court was told that the woman slapped her husband and he had responded by punching her after they got out of the vehicle.
She was seen falling to the ground and hitting the back of her head and appeared to be “unconscious.” She was on the ground for “15 seconds,” the court heard. The taxi driver, Daniel Shepherd, had got out of his cab and approached Goldsmith saying: “Woah, mate, you cannot do that.” Goldsmith then walked over to the taxi driver and said: “What are you going to do, start on me?”
The victim was taken to hospital in an ambulance where she had bruising to her cheek but was later discharged. After he was arrested he denied punching his wife, saying he had pushed her, but told officers he was “humbled” by what happened.
Chief magistrate Emma Arbuthnot said the defendant is a “nasty drunk,” according to Sky News. She added: “You were making your way by taxi. Both had been drinking and the taxi driver listened as you argued. Your wife accused you of taking drugs and leaving her alone for most of the evening. You called her a nothing and [a] whore.”
Jane Humphryes QC, defending, said both parties were intoxicated and that alcohol might have had more of an effect on Goldsmith as he was on a “charity diet” with limited food and no alcohol. “He is deeply ashamed and concerned about not only his behavior but also the implications of the adverse publicity for everyone concerned,” Humphryes added.
Goldsmith said he remained “devoted” to his wife who he loved “very much” and hoped to patch things up through joint counselling. In a victim impact statement to court, she said she is suffering from panic attacks and is “extremely anxious and stressed.”