A SHOPKEEPER caught selling booze to children from his store has been fined.
Staff at KD’s Off Licence in North Road, Boldon Colliery, sold four cans of Budweiser and a two-litre bottle of cider to two child test purchasers in April and July last year.
The youngsters had been sent into the store – formerly Leo’s Wines – by South Tyneside Council, with trading standards officers inside at the time, pretending to browse goods.
On both occasions, staff handed over booze to the 16-year-olds.
Paul Kang, who owns the shop and holds a licence to sell alcohol, was due at South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court facing a charge of selling alcohol to children under 18.
The charge related to the selling of four cans of lager in July.
The 46-year-old did not appear at court but pleaded guilty by letter.
Angus Taylor, prosecuting for South Tyneside Council, told the court while the person who sold the alcohol was a supervisor, Sandeep Singh Dhadda, it was Kang who the responsibility laid with.
A council licencing committee heard last month that CCTV cameras were not working at the store, staff had not received the necessary licensing training and a refusal register was not available for examination.
As a result, the shop’s alcohol licence was suspended for three months and imposed conditions, including installation of CCTV and improved staff training.
Magistrates fined Kang £110 and ordered him to pay £110 costs, a £15 victim surcharge and £4 compensation to the council, to cover the cost of the alcohol.
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