When it comes to the role of a “best man,” the expectations can sometimes be flexible depending on the people involved. Traditionally, the one rule to follow is “don’t be a total a**hole.” Not too much to ask, right? Well, one best man couldn’t keep that end of the bargain.
Let’s head to England for a remarkable tale of scumbaggery and swindling. According to The Guardian, Martyn Galvin has been locked up for weaselling almost £8,000 (or roughly $10k in U.S. funds) from his friends over a non-existent bachelor party. Not only that, but he’s also been busting lying about having terminal bowel cancer. See, this isn’t some disobeying shoe expectations type offense.
The groom says he asked his closest friend to serve as his best man. Of course, he probably wouldn’t have if he’d had known that the best man would pocket funds that were supposed to used to get to Prague for a “stag do.” The groom and the 16 guests found themselves in Newcastle the last summer confused why their flights and accommodations weren’t booked. Galvin tried to spin the funny business as an issue with the travel agent.
In court, the groom’s statement on the situation drives home the feeling of deception:
“When Martyn told me he had suspected cancer I was absolutely devastated for him and his family. I offered to take over the organising but he insisted, stating a groom should never have to organise his own stag do. How could I not feel guilty? I felt I had put too much on him.”
He’d later learn the truth about Galvin’s claim of cancer later. It was a reveal that left the groom feeling “ashamed.”
“I was told by his mum that he did not have any sort of cancer and he had not left the house all week. I was beyond devastated,” the groom said. “I could not believe that Martyn had done this to me.”
The victim said he now felt like he was known as “the groom whose best man screwed his friends and family over money, and I’m ashamed”.
He added: “For months he conned me and a lot of our friends into thinking he was seriously ill for the plain reason of money. At no point did he hesitate in his scheme. He had six months to organise a stag do but he didn’t. He just took the money he was asking people for.”
Yuck. The upside is that the groom would later get a proper best man and he had a lovely wedding day without Galvin. Speaking of which, Galvin was sentenced this week to 20 months in jail and has been ordered to repay the money he took.
(Via The Guardian)