Kate’s uncle knocked out wife with left hook
KATE Middleton’s uncle has admitted hitting his wife in the face and knocking her unconscious after a drunken argument on the way home from a charity event.
Gary Goldsmith (52) used a closed fist to attack 57-yearold Julie-Ann Goldsmith outside their home in Wimpole Street, central London, following a night at a private members’ club.
Mrs Goldsmith was knocked to the ground, where she remained with her eyes closed for around 15 seconds before waking up and staggering to her feet, a court heard.
Goldsmith admitted one charge of assault by beating at Westminster Magistrates’ Court yesterday.
The charge carries a maximum penalty of six months’ imprisonment, but Chief Magistrate Emma Arbuthnot said she was “excluding custody and looking at a community order”.
Goldsmith, an entrepreneur estimated to be worth £30m (€33.5m), is the younger brother of Carole Middleton, the mother of the Duchess of Cambridge.
The great uncle of Prince George and Princess Charlotte attacked his wife at around 1.20am on October 13 this year after she slapped him when they left a charity auction at Home House in Portman Square, Marylebone.
Prosecutor Kate Shilton told the court Mrs Goldsmith fell down after her husband threw a “hard” punch that was described by their taxi driver, Daniel Shepherd, as a “left hook”.
She said: “The argument took place in a taxi. They both got out of the taxi and he (Mr Shepherd) describes Mrs Goldsmith slapping her husband to the face.
“He then describes how Mr Goldsmith punches her hard in the face using a left hook.
“Mrs Goldsmith has then fallen backwards. He says ‘She appears to be unconscious, she isn’t moving’.”
After the incident, Goldsmith was described as “panicked and walking in and out of the house, trying to get her to go back in the house”.
The court was told that, when the taxi driver challenged Goldsmith over his actions, he then became aggressive towards him. Mrs Goldsmith asked Mr Shepherd to call the police.
Following the attack, Mrs Goldsmith was taken to hospital in an ambulance and was later discharged.
At the police station, Goldsmith told officers he had pushed his wife hard with his left hand, but denied using a hook. The court heard he was apologetic for his actions. Goldsmith will be sentenced at the same court on November 21.