Keir Johnston, the 38-year-old Scotsman, who became an internet sensation after sharing the white/gold-blue/black dress photo pleaded guilty to endangering his wife’s life and admitted that he tried to strangle her.
Appearing at the High Court in Glasgow on Thursday, he pleaded guilty to carrying out a “terrifying” attack on his wife, Grace Johnston. The attack left Grace Johnston “fearing for her life”, but alive.
News outlet The Daily Record first broke the news of the Scotsman’s long history of domestic violence. He was remanded in custody until his sentence scheduled for June 6.
Johnston received global attention for “#TheDress” after an image of his mother-in-law’s dress during his wedding in 2015 was uploaded by a guest who attended the ceremony.
The internet debated for weeks the dress’s true colours – black and blue or white and gold – and it also attracted the interest of reality star Kim Kardashian and singer Justin Bieber.
The couple were also invited on the Ellen DeGeneres Show where they were given $10,000 and a trip to Grenada.
Prosecutors told the court how Grace lived in fear for her life and suffered domestic abuse for a very long time. They said the wife felt trapped because there was no police presence on the island where they lived.
The Johnstons were living in the Isle of Colonsay, off the west coast of Scotland.
“There is no permanent police presence on the island, and she was in a situation where she felt trapped,” Chris Macintosh, prosecutor for the Crown, told Lady Drummond and the court.
“Johnston woke up and said that he was going to leave her. She went outside the property to stop him from leaving. He followed her and pinned her to the ground,” the prosecutor further added, narrating an incident where Keir was outraged because Grace refused to listen to his demands where he had asked her not to attend a job interview on the mainland.
“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 and feared for her life and believed Johnston intended to kill her as he was very forceful,” the prosecutor said.
Lawyers for Keir said he had accepted responsibility for the assault. “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,” the judge, Lady Drummond, said, while denying him bail.
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