“Where Is the Justice?”: Former Big Boss Owner Avoids Prison Sentence Amid Sexual Assault Conviction

Former kebab shop Big Boss and ice cream shop Little Boss owner Ugur ‘Jack’ Emre was convicted on 14 October by the Dundee Sheriff Court for “sexual assault of a minor, making non-consensual sexual remarks, supplying children with alcohol, licensing offences, and forcing young staff to work during a restricted time,” according to an article from The Courier, published 16 October. Despite these convictions, Emre has not been sentenced to prison, raising concerns among the St Andrews community about safety, especially for young women and girls. 

The Big Boss business encountered its first public scandal on 27 October 2024 when police entered the takeaway and temporarily closed it, charging Emre with breaching licensing legislation. Emre also had a previous domestic offence conviction.

That same month, posts began circulating on St Andrews Facebook pages and groups concerning sexual harassment allegations against Emre. A post from the student page St Fessdrews from 18 October 2024 states, “Everyone who hasn’t seen the sexual harassment allegations about Big Boss... look them up.” A reply to the post shared the circulating information, including alleged testimonies from two underage female employees, one accusing him of sexual assault, the other of overworking and verbally attacking his employees. As these posts gained local traction, the police became involved.

Emre’s 14 October Court sentencing has shocked the community due to the verdict of no prison time. During sentencing, Sheriff Gregor Murray stated, “I arrive at the conclusion a robust community-based package of sentences would be sufficient to punish [Emre] and to deter others.”

Instead, Emre has been sentenced to perform 250 hours of unpaid labour, pay £5,000 in compensating fines, comply with a restriction of liberty order preventing him from leaving his home between 9am and 9pm, observe five-year non-harassment orders towards his victims, and remain on the sex offenders register for five years. 

The victim, who was sixteen at the time of her assault and therefore must legally remain anonymous, told The Courier, “I am furious. I am so angry, we were so convinced he was going to get jailed … Where is the justice?” The victim continued, “I have got to live the rest of my life with what he did, but he gets to walk about free. That’s the thing, he shouldn’t be out — all it takes is for me to walk past him. None of it was worth it — it just seems like it was taken as a joke.”

Though current signage is misleading, the St Andrews Big Boss company no longer exists. The company “Big Boss Turkish LTD” was dissolved on 2 September 2025, according to the UK Government’s Company Information Service. The business currently operating at the 13 Bell Street location is the new takeaway Birdies, owned by Theo Kalopedis.

In an interview with The Saint, Kalopedis said he took over at the beginning of April 2025. He described his experience running Birdies as “extremely stressful” thus far.

“[The shop] lost a lot of customers because of what happened with the previous owner, which obviously we had nothing to do with,” Kalopedis said. “There’s a bunch of people that still believe that the old owner is still involved in the business, which is obviously not true.”

Kalopedis expressed his commitment to honesty with the St Andrews community.

“I can’t afford to just sit back and wait for it to blow over… I want to put my foot forward and let everybody know that [Birdies] ownership [is] me, it’s my family, it’s nothing to do with the previous owner.”

He also explained his feeling of obligation towards the community, especially towards students, stating: “Because they technically feed me, I want to feed them.”

“There [are] big societies that are already coming in asking for us to sponsor them,” Kalopedis said. “Next year, I’m going to start sponsoring different things. We already sponsor St Andrews Football Club.”

Most importantly, Kalopedis wants to make Birdies a safe environment for all.

“I want all the staff to be trained properly. I want everybody to be nice. I want people to feel welcome and safe when they come [into] the shop,” Kalopedis said, adding: “Whatever I could do to help out, I’m willing to do… We just want to be good to people, and we want people to be good to us.”

The University of St Andrews’ Feminist Society has provided a comment on its role in advocating for greater awareness and action around gender-based violence, condemning the actions of Emre.

“Recent conversations within the Feminist Society have centred on how to make nights out in St Andrews safer and more inclusive for everyone, particularly in light of the charge of sexual assault against the owner of Big Boss. It’s extremely distressing to see such a heinous act of violence perpetrated in our community, and we stand firmly with the victim.”

The society’s commitment to promoting safety, especially after dark, is embodied in its annual Reclaim the Night campaign, “a week-long initiative that raises awareness of violence at night against women and other marginalised groups.”

“This year, as part of the campaign, some of our committee members will be stationed outside the Union Quiet Room on Wednesday, 19 November, to offer support to anyone who may need it,” said the society spokesperson, adding: “We recognise that not all students — especially women and marginalised groups — feel entirely safe on nights out, and we believe it’s important to meet students where they are.”

While the Feminist Society wants to “emphasise that the responsibility for safety should never fall solely on individuals who feel vulnerable,” they also want to share advice:

“Go out with friends you trust, check in throughout the night, and don’t hesitate to leave a situation if something doesn’t feel right. Make use of available safety resources, such as the online Police Scotland reporting form, the St Andrews Security and Response Team, the Night Bus service, and the University’s Report and Support tool.”

The Saint reached out to Police Scotland for comment on this scandal, but at the time of publication, no response was received.

Image by Ada Newton