A husband who went viral with his wife after a dress bought for their wedding ‘broke the internet’ by sparking hot debate over its true colour is now behind bars for attacking her.
Keir Johnston, 38, turned on terrified Grace Johnston at their home on the Isle of Colonsay, in the Inner Hebrides, at one stage threatening: ‘Somebody is going to die.’
He pinned her to the ground, using his knees to hold her arms down, and strangled her in March 2022, the High Court in Glasgow was told.
The couple gained worldwide fame following their 2015 nuptials after the mother of the bride wore a dress that sparked global debate over its true colours – black and blue or white and gold.
Nicknamed ‘The Dress That Broke the Internet’, it became a social media hit when it was first shared on Tumblr by guest Caitlin McNeill, who appealed for help in solving the dilemma.
Celebrities including Kim Kardashian, Kanye West, Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift all chimed in with their takes, while the photo was tweeted up to 11,000 times a minute.
The couple went on to appear on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, where they were handed $10,000 and a trip to Grenada after revealing the dress was indeed black and blue.
But the court heard Johnston, who pleaded guilty to a charge of assaulting Grace to her injury and the danger of life, has a history of domestic abuse towards his wife.
Prosecutor Chris Macintosh told the court: ‘There is no permanent police presence on the island and she was in a situation where she felt trapped.’
Days before the assault, the court heard Grace had gone to the mainland for a job – in defiance of her husband’s wishes.
In the hours prior to him turning on his wife, Johnston had been drinking at a pub quiz. Grace had been elsewhere.
She got ‘strange texts’ including him stating: ‘You should support me, but you do not.’
Feeling ‘worried and anxious’, she returned home where her husband already was.
Mr Macintosh said: ‘Johnston woke up and said that he was going to leave her. She went outside the property to stop him leaving.
‘He followed her and pinned her to the ground. He placed both knees on her arms, so she was unable to move. He then began strangling her with both his hands.
‘She was initially able to scream. She feared for her life and believed Johnston intended to kill her. He was very forceful.’
Johnston briefly went back inside the house when a neighbour stepped in to try and pull him away from his wife but he quickly came back threatening to ‘finish her off’.
Grace suffered ‘visible’ bruising and marks to her neck as a result of the assault, but luckily needed no medical treatment.
The court heard Johnston later ‘alluded to previous episodes of marital violence’ when talking to a doctor. He also described bouts of ‘emotional distress’ since he was a child.
His lawyer Marco Guarino said Johnston had always accepted responsibility for assaulting his wife that night.
But the judge Lady Drummond refused his plea for bail ahead of sentencing, telling Johnston: ‘I have no need to tell you that this is a serious and violent offence.
‘You repeatedly strangled her, injured her and put her life in danger in what must have been absolutely terrifying circumstances for her.
‘I am afraid, Mr Johnston, that your status has now changed, you have been convicted of a very serious crime and you will be remanded meantime.’
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