Antonia Eastwood, 49, was handed a 10-month jail term suspended for 12 months after throwing black paint over sister-in-law Gemma Monk on her wedding day in a ‘revenge attack’
A woman who narrowly avoided prison after chucking black paint over sister-in-law at her wedding has broken her silence.
Antonia Eastwood, 49, was handed a 10-month jail term suspended for 12 months over a vindictive “revenge” attack on 35-year-old Gemma Monk at Oakwood House Register Office in Maidstone in May 2024. The incident left black paint splattered all over Gemma’s white wedding dress on her big day in front of shocked guests – but the bride carried on with the ceremony as normal, saying her vows after changing into another outfit.
Mrs Eastwood, who is married to Gemma’s brother Ashley, claimed to have carried out the attack in revenge after an incident at her own wedding the year before. Speaking to the press for the first time since her sentencing, she said: “I feel ashamed of myself. It’s not me. I’ve never been in trouble with the police before. Ever.
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“I had a full-blown panic attack on the day I was sentenced. I was petrified I’d go to prison. It has all taken its toll,” she told the Daily Mail.
Ashley, meanwhile, recalled an alleged incident at their wedding in 2023, when he claimed Gemma “had her foot in the aisle as Toni walked past”. It began a feud that saw Ashley and Antonia not invited to Gemma’s wedding.
Eastwood, 49, who now lives in Manchester, was sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court for two offences of criminal damage.
The court heard that the bill for repairs and “loss of revenue” at Oakwood House after the paint throwing incident was at least £5,000.
In a victim impact statement read to the court, Gemma said: “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.
“This has had a dramatic impact on my life. Even while I was providing this statement at the police station, I got extremely emotional and started crying while talking about the incident.
“Since the incident, if it wasn’t for my children or my family, I don’t think I would even get out of bed to care for myself. I have lost all my dignity and good habits in life. I have lost who I used to be.
“This has turned the most special day of my life into the worst memory I will never forget, and neither will my family.”
