A bride was drenched in black paint moments before her wedding in a revenge attack carried out by her sister-in-law, who had not been invited. Gemma Monk, 35, was standing in the hallway of Oakwood House Register Office in Maidstone when Antonia Eastwood, 49, threw the paint over her. The attacker, who is married to Gemma's older brother Ashley, fled the scene.
Despite the ordeal, Gemma scrubbed off the paint in a cubicle, borrowed a dress from an usher, and married her partner of over 20 years, Ken, two hours late. She told the court: 'Nothing was going to stop me. I would have walked down the aisle in my knickers and with black paint over my face if I had to.' Eastwood pleaded guilty to criminal damage at Maidstone Crown Court, and the damage to the venue was estimated at over £5,000.
The attack stemmed from a feud that began after Eastwood's wedding to Ashley in September 2023, where Gemma was accused of trying to trip the bride. Neither Eastwood nor her husband were invited to the Monks' wedding. Gemma later said the incident caused her depression, anxiety, and a cancelled honeymoon to the Maldives. She said: 'This has turned the most special day of my life into the worst memory I will never forget.'
Eastwood, who now lives in Manchester, admitted the attack was revenge. The court heard she made no comment during a police interview but later confessed to a probation officer. A pre-sentence report revealed the motive. The black substance was not forensically tested but was referred to as dye by the prosecutor.
