A woman who threw black paint over her sister-in-law's wedding dress has admitted feeling ashamed and revealed her greatest fear was going to prison. Antonia Eastwood, 49, carried out the attack on Gemma Monk, 35, at Oakwood House Register Office in Maidstone, Kent, in May 2024.
Eastwood received a 10-month prison sentence, suspended for 12 months, for two counts of criminal damage. Speaking after sentencing, she told the Daily Mail: 'I feel ashamed of myself. It’s not me. I’ve never been in trouble with the police before. Ever.' She added: 'I had a full-blown panic attack on the day I was sentenced. I was petrified I’d go to prison.'
The attack turned the bride's special day into a nightmare, but Gemma bravely continued the ceremony after changing into another outfit to marry childhood sweetheart Kevin Monk. The court heard the damage at the venue amounted to at least £5,000.
In a victim impact statement, Gemma said: 'To have paint thrown over me by my brother’s wife changed my outlook on life... I have lost all my dignity and good habits in life. I have lost who I used to be.' The feud reportedly began at Eastwood's wedding in 2023, when Gemma's brother Ashley claimed Gemma 'had her foot in the aisle as Toni walked past.'
