Newham Council prosecuted the stores following a series
of sting operations with the assistance of young volunteer test
purchasers.
On Monday February 6, Stratford Magistrates' Court heard the cases
of Kwality Stores in Queens Market, Plaistow; Forest Food and Wine
in Dames Road, Forest Gate; Hatherley General Store in Hatherley
Gardens, East Ham, and Aydemir Wines in Plaistow Road,
Stratford.
The salesman at Kwality Stores, Gopal Gautam, 21, of Browning
Road, Manor Park, was charged with selling cigarettes to a
13-year-old in June 2005. Gautam pleaded guilty by post and was
fined £50 plus £250 costs.
In a separate case, the licensee of Forest Food and Wine, Kandiah
Kugathasan, 39, of Downings, Beckton, and salesman, Rasiah Karan,
27, also of Downings, Beckton, were charged with selling alcohol to
a 15-year-old child in June 2005.
Both defendants pleaded guilty by post. Kugathasan was fined £200
plus £400 costs and Karan was fined £150 plus £200 costs.
Magistrates also heard the case of Indrani Rathnayaka, 35, the
licensee of Hatherley General Store and salesman Majeed Malik, 33,
of Ernald Avenue, East Ham, who were charged with selling alcohol
to a 15-year-old child in June 2005.
Rathnayaka, of Boleyn Road, Forest Gate and Malik did not attend
court, nor did they enter a plea. The case was proven in their
absence and both were found guilty.
Rathnayaka was fined £250 plus £840 costs and Malik was fined £250
plus £535 costs.
The court also heard how the licensee of Aydemir Wines, Efendi
Aydemir, 44, of Malvern Road, Enfield, and saleswoman Gulizar
Aydemir, 44, also of Malvern Road, Enfield, were caught selling
alcohol to a 15-year-old child on August 2005.
Both pleaded guilty by post and were fined £200 plus £400 costs
each.
Councillor Ian Corbett, Mayoral Adviser on Anti-Social Behaviour,
said: "We will use the full force of the law to put a stop to
illegal sales of age-restricted goods such as cigarettes and
alcohol, which is a major cause of anti-social behaviour.
"Any trader that is caught breaking the law will have to face the
consequences. We are determined to make Newham a no-go zone for
underage sales." |