Groom who punched two bridesmaids at his own wedding leaving one with black eye jailed for 12 months

Daily Mirror/Andy Stenning

Locked up: Groom John Campbell admitted he 'flipped' while high on booze and cocaine

A groom who punched two bridesmaids at his own wedding - leaving one with with a broken cheekbone - has been jailed.
Samantha Dewar, 26, was knocked unconscious and had her cheekbone smashed, and both she and Rachel Walsh, 23, ended up with black eyes as a result of John Campbell's rampage.
Campbell, 27, admitted he ‘flipped’ while high on booze and cocaine.
His bride Nicola Plant, 26, was left slumped on the floor, sobbing: “My whole wedding is ruined.
“Why is it always me?”

Julian Hamilton/Daily Mirror

Wedding woes: Rachel Walsh and Samantha Dewa, with bride Nicola Plant before the fight

Rachel, who is Nicola’s cousin, told how the horrific bust-up began after she had tried to stop Campbell from drink driving.
After marrying in church, Nicola and Campbell had hosted a reception for 100 guests in the Masonic Hall in Macclesfield, Cheshire.
Mum-of-two Rachel described how there was a great party atmosphere, with plenty of food, the drink flowing and a Karaoke for entertainment.

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Seriously hurt: Samantha Dewar was knocked unconscious and had her cheekbone smashed

But she said the wedding reception ended in a drunken “10-minute nightmare” in the car park at 1am.
It turned nasty after most of the guests had left, when the wedding couple staggered out with a group of close relatives and friends.
Read more: Bridesmaid battered by bridegroom in a wedding punch-up
Rachel said: “John had no money to get home and he got into the driver’s seat of someone’s car.
“He was drunk and I offered him £20 not to drive and take a taxi instead.
“I said, ‘Give me the keys’ and we were pushing and shoving each other.”

Julian Hamilton/Daily Mirror

Attacked: Rachel Walsh suffered a black eye after she tried to stop the groom drink driving

Bride Nicola ran over to try to get in the middle of the squabbling pair, but Campbell then punched Rachel in the eye and she punched him back.
Rachel said: “He was in a rage and wanted to hit me more, but Nicky was there.
“I staggered back and turned round to be sick. The other bridesmaid Samantha Dewar came over and I told her John had hit me.
“Samantha then started running after him, asking him what he had done that for.
“He calmly walked towards her and punched her. She fell down and she was out cold for two minutes.”
Shop assistant Rachel said there were cries and shouts from the guests, and Nicola was sitting down on the ground in her wedding dress, “screaming and screaming”.
Rachel said: “She was saying, ‘My whole wedding is ruined’ and ‘Why does it always have to be me?’
“John threw his wedding ring at her and walked off into the night. Nicky was hysterical on the floor.”

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Before the fight: John and Nicola Campbell at their wedding reception

Staff at the Masonic Hall called the police, who arrived to take statements.
Campbell was jailed for 12 months by judge Roger Dutton at Chester Crown Court today.
He nodded at the judge as he was jailed before being taken down by the dock officers to begin his sentence as members of his family watched from the public gallery.
Magistrates were told how he had launched an “unprovoked attack” at the wedding reception.
Samantha had been excited about being bridesmaid for her best friend Nicola, but they are no longer on speaking terms.
After the court hearing , mum-of-two Samantha said: “We have been best friends since school and I helped her get ready for the wedding.
“I can’t believe what’s happened. I’ve lost my best friend.”
Campbell was arrested the morning after the wedding.
He had texted an apology to Rachel during the night and she later withdrew her police statement because she felt sorry for Nicola.
Rachel’s black eye lasted for a week-and-a-half and she is now prevented from seeing the newlywed couple because of Campbell’s bail conditions as he awaits sentence.

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Guilty: Groom John Campbell punched both the bridesmaids in the drunken brawl

But she did go to comfort the bride at her mother’s house the morning after the incident.
Rachel of Middlewich, Cheshire, said: “She was ashamed and embarrassed. She was in bits, crying, and she apologised to everyone.”
Rachel’s father, Tony Walsh, 50, an electrician, has vowed never to speak to his niece Nicola again, blaming her for staying with Campbell.
And Rachel said Nicola had confided to her during her hen night in a Stockport restaurant that her then fiance Campbell “gets in a bit of a temper sometimes”.
Rachel said: “A beautiful day that started with me doing Nicky’s hair in the morning ended in a nightmare in a car park in the small hours.”
Samantha, of Macclesfield, has been left traumatised by the incident.
She said: “It’s been a nightmare. Everyone was having a nice time at the reception and it was at the end outside in the car park when it happened.
“He punched me in the face out of nowhere and knocked me to the floor. It was all so quick and all I can remember is waking up on the floor in agony."

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Guilty: The groom appeared at Macclesfield Magistrate Court

“I couldn’t open my eye," she continued. "The swelling was awful and I couldn’t feel my face.
“I still can’t feel down the side of my face and just hope it will get better.”
She said the assault had left her “more nervous of people now”, and it had “affected my confidence”.
She added: “I’ve been scared to go out and be alone in the house. It was such a forceful punch and it’s scary to think what could have happened.”
At Macclesfield’s magistrates' court prosecutor Debbie Byrne, said: “This was an unprovoked attack which left a serious injury.
"It was the defendant’s wedding and the complainant was the bridesmaid. The male got into an argument with another female witness.
“She strikes him and he strikes her. The complainant approached the groom from behind and was shouting and he turned around and without warning punched her to the face, knocking her to the ground.”
Defending, Lisa Morton told the court: “It’s a one punch scenario. It’s a serious matter and there’s no getting away from that.”