The collapse of a Dundee business made notorious in a social media meme was played out in court as former owner Iain Wilson was convicted of a domestic abuse charge.
Shoppers were left perplexed in 2016 when shelves in the Nisa Supermarket on Perth Road were left unfilled, documented by the tongue-in-cheek Facebook page “There’s Nothing In Nisa”.
Wilson said at the time a split with a supplier caused the demise of what was then one of Scotland’s biggest independent shops.
During a trial at the city’s sheriff court, the failed business owner revealed the collapse caused the disputes which have eventually led to his conviction.
After a trial at Dundee Sheriff Court, Wilson was found guilty of acting in a threatening and abusive manner towards his then-wife.
He was found to have acted in an aggressive manner, shouted and sworn and stabbed a knife through a counter top, between January 2016 and June 2019 at an address on Silver Birch Drive, Broughty Ferry.
Giving evidence, his former wife said: “We would argue, he was very aggressive.
“He tried so many ways to destroy me.”
Ex-wife’s evidence
She told the court: “To begin with, the marriage had its up and downs.
“It changed when the Nisa Extra on Perth Road began to fail.
“This was from 2016 to 2019.
“He was very bad tempered. He made me feel I had no self worth.
“He would get furious, he was very angry.”
She added: “It wasn’t prudent getting into a fight with Iain.
“He enjoyed it. He loves getting one-up on people.”
Accused takes the stand
During the course of the trial, evidence was heard Wilson had been chopping peppers for dinner when he became embroiled in an argument with his ex-wife “over money”.
He became so enraged, he stabbed the tip of the knife into the counter top.
Wilson, 47, told the court there was a conspiracy against him by his ex-wife and her family.
He said of the failing business: “I was made to feel like an embarrassment.
“There was a blame game.”
He continued: “We didn’t have the same income coming in but my ex-wife wanted to spend the way she did before.”
When asked if the pair argued, Wilson said: “We would argue primarily about money.
“I was cutting up peppers. My ex-wife started arguing.
“I put the knife down. I might have put it down in a frustrated way but I didn’t insert it into the table.”
Wilson, who was once a director of Scottish Squash, the national governing body of the racquet sport, was found not guilty of assaulting a child and a third charge of controlling behaviour.
Guilty
Sheriff Paul Brown said: “This case was set against the background of the failure of a business and the break-up of a marriage.
“But the question I must answer is whether the Crown has proven the charges as libelled.
“All of the witnesses I found to be reliable and credible.
“In relation to the incident with the knife, I was not persuaded by the accused’s evidence.
“Therefore I find (him) guilty.
“Given the background I would like to know a bit more, so I will call for criminal and social work reports, a restriction of liberty order assessment and consider whether a non-harassment-order is appropriate.”
Wilson, 47, of Pathfoot Avenue, Bridge of Allan, will return to court for sentencing on July 1.
Empty shelves
Wilson took over the Perth Road store in 2011 but described 2016 as a “nightmare year” for his shops after the empty shelves hit the headlines.
The There’s Nothing in Nisa Facebook page documented the issues.
Wilson blamed the lack of stock in the Perth Road store on a split from suppliers and vowed to re-open.
He said his primary concern had been for the 20 staff employed by the shops – in the West End and Broughty Ferry.
However, they closed suddenly in January 2017, with Broughty Ferry also losing its post office which was housed within.
The staff apparently turned up to work, completely oblivious to the news.
The Perth Road site relaunched as a Greens store and is now a Sainsburys.
