Gary Goldsmith, the younger brother of Carole Middleton, the mother of the Duchess of Cambridge, wife of Prince William, second in line to the throne, appeared before Westminster magistrates court in London on Tuesday, November 28.
The court heard how the 52-year-old businessman hit his wife Julie-Ann,47, during an argument in October 13. The pair were both drunk and were arguing on the doorstep of their Marylebone home after arriving back in a taxi from a night out in the early hours of the morning.
When his wife slapped him, Goldsmith hit her in the face and she fell down, hitting her head on the pavement and briefly losing consciousness.
The taxi driver, who witnessed the incident, got out of his cab and approached him, prompting Goldsmith to threaten to fight him.
The Duchess of Cambridge's uncle Gary Goldsmith has been fined £5,000 for assaulting his wife in a drunken argument outside their home on Wimpole Street, London https://t.co/MpwaQq72Ve pic.twitter.com/S0YD4g9MIf
— delcrookes (@hairydel) November 28, 2017
"You were not immediately remorseful at what you had done despite your wife's obvious distress. In short, that night were acting like a nasty drunk — not the happy drunk your friends or you describe," said Emma Arbuthnot, chief magistrate.
Sentencing him, she added " 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 whore."
Royal Wedding Guest
Goldsmith, a guest at the 2011 royal couple's wedding, was given a community order and told to attend 20 sessions of rehabilitation after admitting the assault. He was also hit with a financial fine of £5,000 (US$6,650), ordered to pay a £170 (US$225), and £85 (US$112) towards prosecution costs..
