Monday June 1st 2026
The kebab shop is on George IV Street, Edinburgh
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Joe Sullivan
An Edinburgh kebab shop is at risk of losing its licence to trade late after its licensee was convicted of drink driving and attempting to pervert the course of justice.
Councillors were told by police at the licensing meeting on Monday, May 18 that Segvan Sitki had been convicted of five offences linked to his drink driving in September last year.
Police Scotland provided details of the incidents to councillors – but councillors voted to delay a decision on his application to give his solicitor more time to speak with him.
It came after Sitki’s representative, licensing solicitor Alistair Macdonald, told councillors the shop licensee had been out of the country until recently.
Police sergeant Grant Robertson said the objection revolved around three incidents in 2023 and 2024.
On 8 January of 2024, around 7pm, he said Sitki crashed into the same car twice on George IV bridge, while apparently trying to find parking and attend his business.
Sgt Robertson continued: “The applicant collided with a black car on George IV Bridge after driving, while flashing the light and sounding the horn.
“Two witnesses were in the car. They observed he was under the influence to the extent he was unable to speak coherently.
“The applicant indicated he was parking to attend YumYum kebab shop.”
Sgt Robertson added that Sitki had driven off once one of the witnesses had started taking a photo of the car, which saw the shop owner collide with the black car again.
Later, he entered the shop where the two witnesses were present, where he denied the collision and then left.
Police traced Sitki, who began shouting at officers, and falsely accused the witnesses of trying to steal from his shop.
He refused a roadside breath test, and was transported to St Leonard’s police station, where he was found to be over the legal limit and charged.
At Edinburgh Sheriff Court on September 10 of last year, he was fined £600 and ordered to pay a £40 victim surcharge, disqualified from driving for 36 months with an endorsement on his licence for drunk driving, all aggravated by his being on bail.
On the charge of attempting to pervert the course of justice, he was admonished.
During the second incident on February 2, around 7.40pm, Sitki collided with the back of another car while heading east on the Western Approach Road.
The driver of the other car said Sitki seemed under the influence of alcohol, and refused to leave his vehicle while arguing, eventually driving away.
The driver followed Sitki further down the road, where Sitki began to argue and then walked off in the direction of King’s Stables Road, abandoning his car.
When reached by police, Sitki falsely claimed he was the victim of a robbery, and refused to identify the other driver or submit to a breath test.
This caused his arrest, after which he became ‘unruly’, and was held in custody.
At the same court on September 10 this year, he was fined £540 for refusing a breath test at the roadside, along with a with a £40 victim surcharge, and disqualified for 36 months.
He was also admonished for attempting to pervert the course of justice, with both charges aggravated by his being on bail.
In the final incident, around 8.15pm on September 15, 2023, police responded to an emergency SOS from a vehicle on Weston Gait, Edinburgh.
Police responded, and found Sitki inside his car with a strong smell of alcohol, noticing an empty bottle of whisky in the drivers’ side door.
He refused to provide a specimen of breath and was arrested.
Again at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on 10 September this year, he was fined £600 for failing to provide a specimen on the roadside and made to pay a £40 victim surcharge, with his licence disqualified for 12 months and endorsed.
Sgt Robertson concluded by saying it was the opinion of the police that Mr Sitki was not a fit and proper person to hold a licence due to the convictions.
Mr Macdonald argued that the issues discussed had been heard fully before from police prior to his last licence renewal last year and Sitki’s conviction.
But committee convener and Conservative councillor Joanna Mowat said she disagreed, and that a conviction was different to a pending court case.
The committee agreed to the continuation, which had been requested by Mr Macdonald.
In an unusual move, a discussion on Sitki’s previous licence renewal in August 2025 saw the press unexpectedly excluded after Mr Macdonald asked it to be held in private.
During that meeting, the solicitor asked Cllr Mowat if the proceedings could be held in private, stating there would be “a lot of information for public consumption”.
Cllr Mowat replied it was a decision for the committee, and referred the request to the room.
Liberal Democrat councillor Jack Caldwell said: “It’s not a request we usually get, but Mr Macdonald is a regular attendee here, so I would be happy to grant.”
The rest of the committee agreed. On September 8, the committee voted to allow the premises to open late from 11-2 on Sunday to Thursday, and 11-3 on Friday to Saturday.
Another previous meeting involving a licence renewal for the shop, in 2024, was held in private, according to meeting minutes.
If the licence renewal for the shop is refused when it is next heard, the shop will lose permission to trade after 11.
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