Kate’s Uncle Gary knocked out his wife with left hook
Troubled millionaire and black sheep of Middleton family faces large fine for attack
THE Duchess of Cambridge faced fresh family embarassment yesterday as her uncle admitted a violent attack on his wife.
Kate, 35, continued with her royal duties yesterday, bonding with other expectant mums and meeting disadvantaged youngsters.
Her tour of the Family Action children’s home came as Gary Goldsmith, 52, her mum’s millionaire brother, sat shamed in a courtroom.
He now faces being hit with a restraining order after knocking out wife Julie-Ann with one punch during the drunken street row.
And a judge will probe claims he has lashed out before.
One royal observer said: “I can’t imagine that Kate’s not upset by what happened. She certainly wouldn’t be talking about it openly and wouldn’t let her guard down or display any true feelings.”
Eight years ago Goldsmith – said to be worth around £30million – was caught in a tabloid drugs and hookers sting at his Ibiza villa “La Maison de Bang Bang”, crude French for ‘the house of sex’.
After admitting a charge of assault by beating, Goldsmith now faces questions over whether he poses a danger to his wife.
Mrs Goldsmith, 47, claims the strike that left her unconscious was “not a complete one-off”, a court heard yesterday.
A judge will look at whether she needs to ban Goldsmith from contacting his wife in order to protect her.
The pair, married for five years, had been at a charity party and were both drunk when they began arguing in the back of the taxi home in the early hours of October 13, Westminster magistrates court was told yesterday. After cab driver Daniel Shepherd dropped them off, he saw Julie-Ann slap her husband in the face and he retaliated with a left hook, which knocked her to the floor.
Shepherd said Julie-Ann was out cold for 15 seconds and he went to her aid, telling Goldsmith: “Oi mate, you can’t do that.”
Goldsmith then turned on the driver, the court heard.
Goldsmith was later seen storming in and out of the couple’s £2.5million Marylebone home, in central London.
Mrs Goldsmith was taken to hospital and was later discharged without treatment but photographs of her bruised face were shown to the court yesterday.
In his police interview, Goldsmith said he felt “threatened” when his wife slapped him and had pushed her, but denied hitting her with a closed fist.
He admitted there was no excuse for his violent outburst. One officer who quizzed him said Goldsmith was “apologetic and humbled”, the court heard.
Goldsmith heard he will not go to jail but is looking at a community order or large fine. equipment for the oil and gas industry and the renewable energy sector, directly employ some 600 people at yards in Burntisland and Methil in Fife and Arnish on Lewis.
But Brown said when contractors and subcontractors were included, 1400 jobs were linked to the firm’s survival.
He added: “We are very interested and want to do what we can to help to try to achieve a solution.”
Brown said discussions were going ongoing between the firm, the unions, Scottish Enterprise and the Scottish Government, and ministers are “fully exploring all options available to save the company and the jobs which depend on it”.