A VILLAGE shop has been stripped of its premises licence after selling alcohol to children.
St Helens Newsagent repeatedly sold alcohol to under 18-year- olds and ignored the advice of police officers to tighten up its procedures.
Yesterday, Durham County Council's statutory licensing sub- committee supported an application by Durham Police to revoke the shop's licence.
Councillors heard that police ran test purchase operations throughout the county to tackle underage drinking, which has been identified as a priority. The shop, in Maude Terrace, St Helen Auckland, failed three out of four tests in which underage youngsters working with police attempted to buy alcohol.
Between August last year and February, licence holder Shabana Imran sold schnapps to a 16-year-old boy and lager to a 15-year-old boy while her husband, Sawar Mohammed Imran, sold wine to Dolce & Gabbana Replica a 15-year old girl.
ulysse nardin watches The third failure led to court action and, in April, Mrs Imran was fined [pounds]400 by magistrates for selling alcohol to a person under 18.
Throughout this time, police spoke to the couple about the serious nature of selling alcohol to youngsters.
Mrs Imran was also advised to adopt the Challenge 21 or 25 scheme - in which customers who look underage must produce photographic identification - and about staff training, record keeping and the importance of a working CCTV system.
Police solicitor Stephen Mooney said: "In the police's view, it is a privilege to be given a right to serve alcohol.
"Selling alcohol to children is such a fundamental breach and it is easy to prevent. If in doubt, just ask for ID.
"These premises failed to do so three times.
"The potential impact on a community ranges from litter to alcohol-fuelled anti-social behaviour, which can make residents' lives a misery, and there are serious health risks for those youths."
Mrs Imran said she and her husband had taken the proceedings seriously and had introduced measures to prevent underage alcohol sales.
She pleaded with councillors not to revoke the shop's licence, which could force them to close.
She said they were a hard working couple, with a baby platform pump son, and were struggling financially and the loss of the business could lead to bankruptcy and force them into social housing and onto benefits.
But councillors decided to revoke the licence, believing the couple failed to ask for ID, provided no evidence of enforcing the Challenge 21 scheme and that they had had plenty of warnings and advice.
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