A Cefn Fforest shop owner has been prosecuted for selling alcohol and cigarettes to children as young as 15.
Simarjot Singh, 30, of Pencoed Avenue in Cefn Fforest was fined £1,600 and ordered to pay costs of over £2,100 after being found guilty of two offences of selling alcohol to children and one of selling cigarettes to children at Newport Magistrate’s Court on August 21.
The case came to light after Caerphilly County Borough Council’s Trading Standards team received numerous complaints that children were being sold alcohol from Cefn Fforest Stores on Bedwellty Road.
An investigation in January this year saw two groups of children intercepted leaving the store with alcohol.
The youths were aged between 15 and 17 and were found with wine, lager’ cider and vodka.
CCTV footage showed the alcohol being sold to the youths, by Singh himself and one of his employees.
The CCTV footage also showed one of the first group of youths being sold cigarettes.
Cllr Nigel George, Cabinet Member for Community and Leisure Services said: “This successful prosecution emphasises our commitment, together with that of our partners, to ensuring that age restricted items such as alcohol and cigarettes do not get into the hands of our young people.
“Thankfully, the vast majority of license holders in our county borough do take their responsibilities very seriously, however a small minority do not.
“We will continue to seek prosecutions against those individuals who break the law in this manner.”
Gwent Police Nightime Economy Officer, PC Adam Lang said: “It’s not acceptable to sell alcohol or cigarettes to children. It has serious health risks to the children themselves as well as knock on effects within the community.
“I’d like to remind licensees that we will respond to all information reported to us, and, with the support of Caerphilly County Borough Council we will continue these sort of operations in the future to ensure activity like this does not take place within our community.”
The licence will be applied for in a relatives name and they will be trading to children again in a couple of weeks. The loophole is so large as to render it a joke.