SHOPKEEPER SOLD ALCOHOL TO GIRL, 14
A former South Tyneside shopkeeper has admitted selling
alcohol to an underage child.
Anthony Howard Gilbert, who ran Best One off-licence
in Mortimer Road, South Shields, also pleaded guilty
to selling alcohol without a licence.
The town's magistrates revoked his personal licence
to sell alcohol, ordered him to pay £200 costs
to South Tyneside Council and gave him a conditional
discharge for six months. The off-licence is now closed.
The court heard that despite being warned previously
about selling alcohol to children, Gilbert, of Glastonbury
Grove, Jesmond, Newcastle, sold a bottle of vodka to
a 14-year-old girl who was making a test purchase on
behalf of the council. In mitigation, Gilbert said he
had been taken off guard by the test purchase.
The second charge, of selling alcohol without a licence,
arose following the introduction of the new Licensing
Act last November. Gilbert did not have a licence to
sell alcohol following objections raised by the council's
Trading Standards Service and Northumbria Police. However,
two council employees visited the shop and were able
to purchase cans of lager.
Councillor Joanne Bell, Lead Member for Safer and Stronger
Communities, said: "This conviction sends a clear
message to retailers in South Tyneside that we will
not tolerate our children being sold alcohol which harms
them and leads to the kind of anti-social behaviour
which blights communities.
"It is also a stark reminder that any licensee
who is selling alcohol in the Borough must have the
proper authority to do so, or can expect a visit from
our licensing team with the possibility of a court appearance
to follow."
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