Tom Meighan: Former Kasabian frontman says he ‘accepts’ losing career after assaulting partner

Musician pleaded guilty to physically assaulting Vikki Ager, whom he has since married

Tom Meighan has written at length about the events surrounding his arrest for assaulting his now wife.

The former Kasabian frontman left the rock group in 2020 citing “personal issues”, before appearing in court less than 24 hours later to plead guilty to assaulting Vikki Ager, his partner of four years.

He was given an 18-month community order sentenced to 200 hours of unpaid work.

In a post shared on Medium on Tuesday (28 September) titled: “Check Your Soul: Why it’s never too late,” Meighan said that he’d always struggled with his mental health, alcohol and drugs, but hit “rock bottom” in 2020.

“Last year, in April 2020, I did something I will never forgive myself for: I physically assaulted my now wife Vikki in row fulled [sic] by alcohol,” he wrote. “It was totally unacceptable. In fact, it makes me feel sick every time I think about it.

“I didn’t recognise myself anymore. I had hurt the woman I love. There are no excuses for what happened. I’m deeply ashamed of what I did. Anyone who knows me knows that it’s not in my nature to be violent and it had never happened before. But my failure to address the issues within myself led me to breaking point.”

Meighan said that being arrested was a “turning point” in his life, writing: “It was the wake-up call I needed to get help… Having to watch the video revealing the reality of what I’d done repulsed me. I pleaded guilty straight away to everything.

“The shock set in. I was shaken to the core… I could not bear the thought that Viks was frightened or that she had been hurt. To this day, even now I struggle with how I made her feel that night.”

Discussing “cancel culture”, Meighan said that he was more in support of a “consequence culture” which didn’t push people away but gave them a chance to look within themselves and change.

“If the consequence of what I did is that I lose my career, I accept that,” he wrote. “My career is superficial and it has a shelf life. Breaking the stigma of domestic abuse will not happen if it continues to be treated lightly. But if anything I have to say helps someone before they reach their breaking point, I think that has to be a good thing.”

He also said that he and Ager were now married.

Ian Matthews, Sergio Pizzorno, Tom Meighan and Chris Edwards of Kasabian arriving at the Q Awards in 2014 (PA)

After Meighan pleaded guilty to assaulting Ager, the remaining members of Kasabian issued a full statement regarding his status in the band.

“No one in the band wanted this to happen,” the statement read. “We have all worked so hard for the past twenty three years and had big plans for our future together. We’re completely heartbroken.

“But we were left with no choice but to ask Tom to leave the band. There is absolutely no way we can condone his assault conviction. Domestic violence and abuse of any kind is totally unacceptable.”

They continued: “As soon as we found out about the charges made against Tom, we as a band made the decision that we could no longer work with him. Unfortunately we had to hold back this information until he was found guilty in court.

“Ultimately, as much as Tom has hurt us all, we’re not the victim in all this,” they concluded. “Domestic violence is something that can never be excused.”

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic abuse, you can call the 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline, run by Refuge, on 0808 2000 247, or visit their website here.

If you or someone you know is suffering from alcohol addiction, you can confidentially call the national alcohol helpline Drinkline on 0300 123 1110 or visit the NHS website here for information about the programmes available to you.

If you have been affected by this article, you can contact the following organisations for support: actiononaddiction.org.uk, mind.org.uk, nhs.uk/livewell/mentalhealth, mentalhealth.org.uk.