EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND – Former Traitors star John McManus faced charges of assault in Edinburgh Sheriff Court last year after a violent incident at a seafood restaurant. The 51-year-old spa therapist pleaded guilty to assaulting a waiter and waitress in a posh Edinburgh restaurant in May 2023. The incident occurred after staff asked McManus to keep the noise down, following his consumption of two bottles of wine during a Sunday service.
CCTV footage from the restaurant showed McManus attacking a 62-year-old waiter outside The Ship On The Shore before assaulting a waitress and grabbing her by the hair. He was fined £470 and ordered to pay the waitress £600 in compensation. According to a source, McManus used foul language and was seated near a table with young children, prompting a waiter to approach him about the noise. After finishing his drinks, McManus reportedly confronted the waiter and used derogatory language.
The altercation escalated as McManus physically assaulted the waiter, leaving the waitress with emotional and traumatic scars. The incident resulted in the waitress leaving her job and being diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Despite the incident, McManus was fined and required to pay compensation to the victimized waitress.