A woman who narrowly escaped incarceration for throwing black paint over her sister-in-law at the sister-in-law’s wedding has finally spoken out.
Antonia Eastwood, aged 49, received a suspended 10-month jail sentence for a vengeful attack on Gemma Monk, 35, at Oakwood House Register Office in Maidstone in May 2024. The incident resulted in black paint splattering all over Gemma’s white wedding dress in front of shocked guests. However, Gemma proceeded with the ceremony after changing into a different outfit.
Mrs. Eastwood, married to Gemma’s brother Ashley, admitted carrying out the attack in retaliation for an earlier incident at her own wedding the previous year. In her first public statement since the sentencing, she expressed remorse, stating, “I feel ashamed of myself. It’s not me. I’ve never been in trouble with the police before. Ever.”
Ashley recounted an alleged incident at their 2023 wedding where he claimed Gemma obstructed Toni’s path, sparking a feud that led to Ashley and Antonia being excluded from Gemma’s wedding.
Eastwood, now residing in Manchester, was convicted at Maidstone Crown Court for two counts of criminal damage. The court was informed that the cost of repairs and lost revenue at Oakwood House following the paint-throwing incident amounted to a minimum of £5,000.
Gemma, in a victim impact statement presented to the court, described the emotional and psychological toll of the attack, stating, “To have paint thrown over me by my brother’s wife changed my outlook on life and made me question whether I had done something really bad, whether I had done something wrong.” She added, “This has turned the most special day of my life into the worst memory I will never forget, and neither will my family.”
