Shop caught selling booze to 14-year-old (From Wimbledon Guardian)

South Wimbledon shop caught selling booze to 14-year-old

5:30pm Monday 28th January 2013 in News By Omar Oakes

The former owner of a south Wimbledon shop has been found guilty of selling alcohol to an underage boy.

During a routine test purchase operation by Merton Council’s trading standards team, a 14-year-old volunteer was able to buy a can of lager with no questions asked.

It happened in November 2011 at the former Metro Express store, next to South Wimbledon station in Merton High Street.

The owner, Nideshkumar Amin, was fined £1,500 plus £1,200 costs and a victim surcharge of £15 in December 2012.

The member of staff who made the sale, Mobeen Arshad, was fined £200 and ordered to pay costs of £200 and both men were given 28 days to pay.

Mr Amin had previously received a caution in 2010 for the sale of tobacco products as well as a licence review from Bromley Trading Standards for another underage sale at a convenience store in Bromley.

Since the sale Mr Amin has sold the business and the shop is now under new management.

Merton’s cabinet member for environmental sustainability and regeneration, Councillor Andrew Judge said: “We are determined to tackle the problem of underage sale of alcohol and this sentence sends out a strong message of our intent.

"We want to protect the health of our young people and stop anti-social behaviour.

"Any business that sells alcohol must do so responsibly and legally otherwise they risk prosecution and the loss of their licence.”