Jail term for groom who attacked bride on wedding day outside bridal suite of Portadown hotel

Darren McGeown, from Railway Street in Armagh, admitted headbutting and striking his bride with his fist following a reception in the Seagoe Hotel.

Craigavon Magistrates Court on Friday (February 24) heard that the 30-year-old headbutted his bride, punched her on the face and flung her so hard against a wall that her wedding dress was partially removed during the incident.

A prosecution lawyer told the court that on August 27 last year at 9.58pm police received a report of an ‘ongoing fight at a wedding at the hotel.

"On arrival all was calm. Police walked through the guests and no one made themselves known to police as victims of an assault nor did police observe any injuries. Staff then advised police that the groom, Mr McGeown, had come into the main wedding room, was very erratic and appeared to be starting a fight.”

Police were then told McGeown had just been in the bridal suite. The bride was found by police who said ‘it was immediately apparent she had swelling and redness to her left cheekbone which had affected the shape of her eye’.

The court heard the bride declined medical assistance and said her mother would stay with her. The bride was also reluctant to provide any details of what happened.

“Police then attended the bridal suite and they noted some signs of disturbance, broken glass, fragments suspected to be from a mobile phone. Police viewed CCTV coverage from the corridor outside the bridal suite. At approximately 9.53pm the bride and groom are seen outside their room. They appeared to have a heated argument before the defendant became violent,” said the Prosecutor.

"He put his forehead into the bride’s before putting his head back and aggressively headbutting her. He backs away for a second and the bride appears to put her hands out to push him away. He appears to drop kick something up the corridor and it is unclear what the object is. He then walks up the corridor before coming back towards the bride and appears to push her against the wall. He then strikes her with his fist to her head. He pushes his forehead into hers and she is backed up against the wall. He then flings her across the corridor with force and she collides into the wall causing her dress to partially fall off and then walks away and returns to the main wedding reception.”

The Prosecutor told the court McGeown had left the wedding reception and was found by police at his home the following morning and arrested.

He told the court during interviews McGeown admitted initially to having a verbal argument. “He admitted putting his head to her and striking her in a headbutt action but said this was because she had grabbed him by the throat and he had marks to his neck to support this. He said that when both persons were out of sight of the CCTV she had assaulted him with a hairpiece which had left marks on his ear. He denied punching her but stated when he grabbed her by the wrist and flung her across the corridor she then hit her head off the wall causing a visible mark to her face. He was remorseful for his actions and it was noted he had blood on his shirt.”

Defence barrister David McKeown said it would be “unedifying at the best of times but for it to happen in the way it did on the occasion that it was is startling”.

He added: “There has been no contact between the parties since this incident. He has continued his employment. He has stayed away from everyone and has pleaded at the earliest opportunity. He is deeply remorseful for his actions. He does have convictions on his record but not of this type. What happened on this occasion, was unacceptable as he fully accepts that it was. He has to take and does take responsibility for it.

"He doesn’t want to excuse his behaviour in any way. He knows he is to be punished. He is deeply ashamed. He wants to make amends and put the whole incident behind him and try if possible and if allowable to rebuild what he had before this incident. He fully accepts he should not have acted in the way that he did.”

District Judge Bernie Kelly told the defendant: “Not only is it a serious charge of violence but listening to the sequence and what you did and the fact that this was carried on. There were several violent attacks upon this lady that you perpetrated on her wedding day to you. And your three children were at that wedding.

"Domestic violence is a scourge in society. It is shocking to find someone of your age in court for it because I would have liked to have thought that by your generation there would be a greater understanding of how unacceptable any form of violence within a domestic setting is.

"I have no option given the nature of the offence, given the domestic context within which it occurred but to certify this offence as so serious that there is only one penalty I can impose.”

Sentencing the defendant to four months custody with a £25 Offender Levy, District Judge Kelly added: “He has already accepted by his own plea of guilty the aggravating factor and the aggravator has resulted in an immediate custodial sentence of perhaps slightly longer than what otherwise might have been appropriate to reflect the domestic abuse aggravator.”

McGeown was released on bail of £250 pending appeal.