A former Aberdeen businessman turned to heroin and cocaine after his “whole life crashed” following the collapse of his popular restaurant business.
Aberdeen Sheriff Court was told Chris Tonner embarked on a life of petty crime in the wake of his food firm’s failure and the breakdown of his marriage.
Drug use “took over his life” and was the “root cause” of his offending, his solicitor said.
The 40-year-old has now been sentenced for a string of offences, including stealing a car, trying to break into others and shoplifting.
Defence agent Neil McRobert explained how Tonner’s fall from grace stemmed from the failure of his company, Beetroot Restaurants.
‘His whole life had just crashed’
Mr McRobert said: “His business failed, his marriage then broke down and his contact with his son then broke down with the end of his marriage.
“His whole life had just crashed.
“The way he dealt with that, unfortunately, was to start using substances … unfortunately, that being heroin and crack cocaine.”
He said background social work reports showed Tonner was “absolutely disgusted by his offending”.
“Drug use that had taken over his life was the root cause of his offending last year,” Mr McRobert added.
At an appearance in the dock last month, Tonner was handed a four-week reprieve as a chance to see whether he was suitable for a drug treatment and testing order ahead of any sentencing.
Tonner had originally appeared “reluctant to do so”, though and despite a promise last month to engage with those trying to help, social workers deemed him unsuitable for such an “intensive” order.
He was instead handed unpaid work and supervision with an element of addiction support amongst it.
String of dishonest crimes
On August 4, last year, while acting with another person, he stole a car from the city’s Richmond Terrace. He was later caught driving it, without insurance, on Wingate Place.
Fiscal depute Kirsty Martin said Tonner had insisted to police that the car belonged to him, but was unable to back up that claim in any way.
Later that same month, on August 31, he was caught trying the door handles of two other cars at Balmoral Place.
Police found him actually inside a third car and he was charged with intent to commit a theft.
The fiscal added he was carrying a torch and was seen “rummaging” around inside the car.
On October 10 and 15 last year he stole perfume totalling £90 from Superdrug in the Bon Accord Centre and, on November 6, he stole headphones, a passport and a jumpstart kit from within an unlocked car parked on the city’s Wallfield Place.
Was famed in food industry
Tonner’s firm used to operate both The Adelphi Kitchen and barbecue restaurant Cue – formerly The Courtyard – until both closed during the oil and gas downturn.
The restaurateur– whose appearance in BBC’s Junior Masterchef competition in 1998 helped set him on the path to a career in the local hospitality sector – announced the demise of Beetroot “with a heavy heart and great sadness”.
He hit the headlines again in 2019 when his wedding catering firm Salt and Sauce went bust, just two years after its inception, leaving dozens of couples’ plans in tatters.
The caterer’s parent company Gilbert and Joseph was dissolved three months earlier in March 2019.
Tonner, of Richmond Walk, was handed a community payback order comprising 100 hours of unpaid work and supervision for one year. He was also banned from the road for six months.
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