St. Andrews Shawarma House Owner Pleads Guilty to Domestic Abuse Charges

Aydin Dag, 45-year-old owner of St. Andrews Shawarma House, pleaded guilty to Dundee Sheriff Court for “an abusive course of conduct between December 2024 and November 2025,” according to The Courier. 

Despite his conviction, Dag has yet to be sentenced. He returned to the Court for sentencing on 31 March, following repeated deferments, and was granted a sentence postponement period to demonstrate good behaviour before his final sentencing.

Dag, a St Andrews local, was found to have subjected the woman to verbal abuse through shouting and swearing, as well as physical threats to her and her family, according to court proceedings.

The Courier has reported that the takeaway eatery owner has previous convictions for violence and assault. They wrote that Dag was convicted for assaulting former employee Mohammed Aziz by “throwing a cup of hot liquid at Mr Aziz, which struck him on the body, as well as brandishing a knife at him and trying to strike him on the head with it.”

“[Dag was] additionally convicted of behaving in a threatening or abusive manner by shouting, swearing and making threats of violence towards him.”

The altercation, which took place 28 December, 2019 at Whitehall Crescent Restaurant in Dundee, resulted from a disagreement over unpaid wages at his now-closed Dundee restaurant Antalia.

According to an article by The Courier from 17 August, 2019, while sentencing Dag, Sheriff MacDonald noted this incident as his “second conviction for an offence involving the use of a weapon.”

Leading up to sentencing for this 2019 offence, The Courier reported that “Sheriff MacDonald said he had the ‘misfortune’ of reading” Dag’s criminal justice social work report due to his historically “negative attitude” towards Community Payback Orders (CPO).

MacDonald also told Dag: “You have reached the stage where I have to consider whether I have to protect the public from you.”

Dag was later at risk of being incarcerated after failing to attend a social work appointment.

After his solicitor intervened, who claimed that Dag would comply with any community-based service, he was then sentenced to 280 hours of unpaid work within six months, avoiding jail time. Dag also had his right to operate a licensed premise revoked by Dundee City Council, prohibiting him from selling alcohol in Dundee. 

In 2023, Dag was the victim of a physical assault at the South Street St. Andrews Shawarma House, where, according to The Courier, he was “repeatedly stabbed” by Edinburgh debt collector Yusuf Eroglu — who had travelled to St Andrews alongside his older brother in an attempt to pursue Dag over debts. Dag’s solicitor claimed that, leading up to the attack, Dag was facing financial difficulties.

In 2025, Eroglu was sentenced to 42 months in prison after a majority of jurors found him guilty of grabbing Dag by the neck and repeatedly stabbing him on the body.

St. Andrews Shawarma House closed for a brief period of time following this incident.

In the wake of Dag’s most recent conviction, Dundee Sheriff Court accused Dag of prioritising business interests over mandatory social work appointments.

The Courier reported that Sheriff Gregor Murray said: “In the social work report which I have read, there [are] reservations expressed about [Dag’s] willingness or ability to complete a CPO,” which Dag’s current solicitor, Doug McConnell, has tried to obtain for Dag’s sentence.

Dag was previously represented by solicitor Gary Foulis, who withdrew from the case after a fallout between the two, as stated by The Courier.

Under McConnell’s representation, Dag has been placed on “a bail order associated with the high-tariff structured deferred sentence,” according to The Courier. The Scottish Sentencing Council defines a deferred sentence as a sentence postponement period that allows an offender to demonstrate good behaviour — the tariff is applied if the offender misses social work appointments.

In conversation with The Saint, first-year students Maddie and Josie, who report going to the takeaway “once or twice a week,” expressed unfamiliarity with any negative rumours surrounding St. Andrews Shawarma House’s owner. Fourth-year student Erin and Master’s student Carrie said they had never heard anything specific related to the owner aside from the 2023 stabbing.

Upon learning about Dag’s convictions, all of the students who spoke to The Saint expressed that they would be less likely to frequently buy from the Shawarma House takeaway.

Maddie told The Saint that continuing to support Dag’s Shawarma House “feels like I’m supporting someone [bad],” with student Jodie adding, “[Buying from Shawarma House] isn’t valuing the safety of our town.”

Erin expressed a similar sentiment, saying that “[In St Andrews,] there [are] other places, you’re never stuck for options.” Carrie agreed with Erin: “It’s the same thing as the Big Boss controversy, [...] don’t go.”

The Saint approached St. Andrews Shawarma House for comment.

Photo by Maria Ebrahim