A newsagent has had its premises licence suspended for four weeks after selling alcohol to a child.
In August, West Sussex Trading Standards sent a 16-year-old boy into Martin Newsagent, in Steyning High Street, where he was sold a can of Smirnoff vodka and cola.
As well as not being asked for identification, the boy was asked if he would like to buy two more cans as there was a three-for-two promotion ongoing.
The details were shared with Horsham District Council’s licensing sub-committee on Wednesday (October 9), where Trading Standards recommended the licence be suspended for three months.
The test purchase was organised after a member of the public reported in May that the shop had been selling vapes to children for six months.
One month later, a teacher reported that a 16-year-old had been sold a four-pack of San Miguel beer.
Trading Standards sent a letter and staff paid an advice visit to the shop where they spoke with employee Dashan Dave.
It was Mr Dave who later sold Smirnoff to the boy, claiming he thought he was 21 or 22 years old.
But with a Challenge 25 policy in place at the shop, he should have still asked for proof of age.
A spokesman for Trading Standards said Martin Newsagent had breached two licensing objectives – the prevention of crime and disorder and the protection of children from harm.
Stating that Trading Standards had no confidence that things would change, he added: “We believe that it’s the company’s intention to exploit children for cash profit and we respectfully suggested the decision of the committee should recognise that and serve as a clear deterrent to other businesses who continue to sell alcohol, vapes and other age-restricted products to children.”
A representative of owner Nikhilkumar Patel said the matter had been looked into ‘robustly’, carrying out training and providing a ‘refusals’ book listing all the times youngsters or those without ID had not been allowed to buy restricted products.
He suggested that a two-week licence suspension would be fair and invited Trading Standards to visit the shop at any time.
After discussions with the rest of the committee, chairman Nick Grant (Lib Dem, Holbrook East) announced that a four-week suspension would be ‘proportionate and reasonable’.
He added that it would serve as a ‘form of deterrent and reflects the nature and seriousness of the criminal activity on the premises.”
