Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Former Aberdeen chef told to address drug addiction issues after admitting thefts

Chris Tonner was a top chef but has now wound up battling addiction.
Chris Tonner was a top chef but has now wound up battling addiction.

A former Aberdeen restaurateur has been given four weeks to prove he is willing to tackle his drug addiction issues after he admitted a string of theft charges.

Chris Tonner pleaded guilty to a series of crimes, including stealing a car and trying to break into others, last month.

The former chief executive of now-defunct company Beetroot Restaurants Limited appeared in the dock at Aberdeen Sheriff Court for sentencing today.

The 40-year-old was handed a four-week reprieve as a chance to prove he can comply with a drug treatment and testing order ahead of any sentencing.

Chris Tonner leaving Aberdeen Sheriff Court.

The court heard that he had been initially reluctant to do so and showed an attitude that was “wholly unacceptable”.

Defence agent Neil McRoberts, however, said his client had had a change of heart and was ready to take part in the order.

Sheriff Graham Buchanan told Tonner: “It’s unfortunate that you didn’t really show the proper level of enthusiasm at the start for this, but you seem to have had a think and a change of heart and are going to cooperate with this fully.

“I am deferring sentence for four weeks to give you chance to comply and attend every appointment in that time.”

Chris Tonner at Cue in 2016.

Tonner’s appearance in court marks a dramatic downturn in fortunes for the former chef.

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.

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.

On November 6, 2021 Tonner stole headphones, a passport and a jumpstart kit from within an unlocked car parked on the city’s Wallfield Place.

Fall from grace

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 working as a chef at the Adelphi Kitchen in 2015.

Tonner, of Richmond Walk, had his sentencing deferred until next month.

For all the latest court cases in Aberdeen, as well as the latest crime and breaking incidents, join our new Facebook group HERE.