Drunk ‘Masterchef’ Contestant Shoved Wife Down Stairs During Fight, Arrested

A contestant from "Masterchef: The Professionals" has been found guilty of assaulting his wife during a booze-fueled row that caused her to plunge down a flight of stairs. Lewis Donegan, 34, was arrested by Perth Police officers on March 10 after his wife Sinead, 32, made a “dropped call” to 999 from their home in Tayside, Scotland.

According to the Courier, police scrambled to Donegan’s home around 11pm where Sinead reported she was “shoved” down the stairs by her husband. The alleged attack caused her to sustain several bruises and injuries.

Donegan was found guilty of domestic assault during his trial at Perth Sheriff Court. Prior to his arrest, the Tayside chef was cleared of further assault allegations that he struck his wife on the head.

The court heard from Sinead that she had been drinking at the family home in Colonsay Gardens, when she followed her husband upstairs where they began to engage in an argument on the stair landing. She said: “There was screaming about something. I can't remember what the disagreement was about. Then there was a shove, and I ended up downstairs.”

Sinead also admitted dropping the 999 call as she felt it would seem too serious of a thing to phone the police and she “did not want any trouble.”

PC Sean Robertson told the court that officers determined there were signs of a domestic disturbance when they arrived at the home and found Sinead in a state of distress and bruised. Donegan was taken to the Perth Police station for questioning and told investigators : “She pushed me, and I pushed her back. I shoved her and as a result of that, she fell down the stairs.”

Solicitor Theo Finlay confirmed that Donegan had no previous history of trouble nor convictions. Sheriff Neil Bowie deferred sentence for six months for Donegan to prove he can stay out of trouble. “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,” he said.

The couple has since reconciled and are back living together.