A Harrow newsagent has been ordered to pay £953.29 for selling alcohol to underage teenagers.
During a compliance check in the area in June 2023 by Brent and Harrow Trading Standards, a member of staff at Quality Food & Wine Ltd, Kenton sold two 330ml bottles of alcohol to underage people aged 16 and 17.
At Willesden Magistrates Court on 20 June 2024, Charanjeet Singh Rajvanci admitted the offence on behalf of the company. The company failed to demonstrate that it took all reasonable precautions to avoid the sale taking place.
During the formal interview with seller, he said believed they looked aged 25 or over. He gave no valid reason on how he came to that conclusion.
The Magistrates gave the company a fine of £300 and he was ordered to pay £120 victim surcharge and costs of £300, a total of £720.
Cllr Pritesh Patel, Cabinet Member for Member for Cleaner Streets and Public Safety at Harrow Council said: “The law is clear on selling products prohibited to children. It’s why these items have age restrictions on them.
“It is concerning that this trader proceeded to sell alcohol to underage children despite knowing the law. While this was a test purchase it could have been a vulnerable young person.
“Every business has a duty of care to keep the public safe and comply with the law. In this case the trader failed to do that and was given a penalty.
“We will continue to carry out work to keep people safe and take action against businesses operating illegally.”
Chris Mitchell is the founder and editor of Harrow Online, Harrow’s leading local news platform.
He launched Harrow Online in 2010 as a Facebook page sharing local news and information. Since then, it has grown into a trusted source for breaking news, crime, council decisions, planning, transport, business and community stories across the borough.
Harrow Online reaches hundreds of thousands of readers each month and has a social media audience of more than 200,000 followers.
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