A restaurant boss has narrowly avoided a prison sentence for trying to stab his former employee and throwing a hot liquid at him.
Former Antalia owner Aydin Dag, 39, was ordered to perform unpaid work after previously being found guilty of the attack on Mohammed Aziz at the Whitehall Crescent restaurant on December 28 last year when it was trading as Scots Hoose.
Dundee Sheriff Court heard the incident is Dag’s second conviction for an assault with a weapon and he has now had his right to operate a licensed premises revoked by Dundee City Council as a result.
Sheriff James MacDonald found Dag guilty of 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, to his injury.
Dag, of Roundhill Road, St Andrews, was additionally convicted of behaving in a threatening or abusive manner by shouting, swearing and making threats of violence towards him.
The trial heard a row erupted between the pair over unpaid wages.
Dag returned to the dock to learn his fate following the preparation of a criminal justice social work report.
He was previously warned that he was at risk of being remanded after failing to attend for an appointment.
Sheriff MacDonald said he had the “misfortune” of reading Dag’s report due to his negative attitude towards carrying out unpaid work.
But defence solicitor Richard Gray said that Dag was willing to comply with any community-based disposal and “wasn’t thinking” about the consequences of such comments.
Mr Gray said that Dag had found himself in financial difficulties in the run-up to the attack.
Sheriff MacDonald said when passing sentence: “This is your second conviction for an offence involving the use of a weapon.
“You have reached the stage where I have to consider whether I have to protect the public from you. Despite your comments in the report, you are willing to consider doing measures short of going to prison.
“The other alternative is a stark one. I send you to jail.”
Dag was ordered to perform 280 hours of unpaid work within six months as an alternative to a custodial sentence.
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