A Tayside Masterchef star has avoided jail for assaulting his wife and causing her to plunge down a flight of stairs.
Lewis Donegan, who cooked lunch for the Queen and was a founder of the Dundee Cooking Academy, was found guilty of domestic assault after a trialearlier this year.
Perth Sheriff Court heard he attacked partner Sinead at their Inchture home during a drink-fuelled argument.
Sentence was deferred to give Donegan the chance to prove he could stay out of trouble.
The 35-year-old, who previously appeared on TV’s Masterchef: The Professionals, attended at Alloa Sheriff Court on Thursday and was sentenced to 50 hours of unpaid work.
He has been given nine months to complete the order.
Sheriff Neil Bowie told him after the trial: “It may not have been your intent to cause your wife to fall down the stairs, but I am satisfied it was your intention to physically assault her.
“She was intoxicated and it would not have been difficult for her to lose her footing.”
Screaming before assault
Sinead, 32, told the court that she had been drinking at the family home in Colonsay Gardens.
She said she followed her husband upstairs and they argued on the landing.
“There was screaming about something,” she said.
“I can’t remember what the disagreement was about.
“Then there was a shove, and I ended up downstairs.”
She was shown a police photo of her bruised elbow, which she confirmed was a result of her fall.
Sinead told the trial she dialled 999, but hung up.
“It was quite a serious thing to phone the police and I just didn’t want any trouble,” she said.
‘I pushed her back’
Officers arrived just before 11pm.
Constable Sean Robertson, 28, told the court there was signs of a disturbance in the home and that Sinead was visibly bruised and distressed.
He said Donegan was arrested on suspicion of domestic assault and taken to Perth police station for questioning.
In his interview, Donegan told investigators: “She pushed me and I pushed her back.
“I shoved her and as a result of that, she fell down the stairs.”
Asked how it felt to have caused injury to his wife, Donegan replied: “Terrible.”
He denied he was a controlling person.
“Not at all,” he said. “I’m more of a concerned person.”
The Dundee Cooking Academy opened in November 2019, offering guests a variety of cooking classes led by head chef tutor Donegan.
He began his career at the Hilton Dundee and went on to work in hotels and restaurants around Scotland.
