A FORBRIDGE shop owner has been fined for selling a kitchen knife to a minor.
In a test purchase operation conducted by Solihull Council’s Trading Standards team last October, a large knife was sold to an underage test purchaser – a person under 18 years old – at the Premier store on Bosworth Drive.
No age-related checks were carried out.
Solihull Council said subsequent enquiries revealed that the seller, a family friend of the shop owner, was underage themselves and not employed at the store.
The owner, Navaratnam Oppilamani, although not present at the time of the sale, admitted in an interview to the underage sale.
Oppilamani pleaded guilty to the underage sale of an age-restricted product at Birmingham Magistrates Court and was fined £125, with £200 towards costs and a £48 victim surcharge.
A licence review will now be undertaken.
Councillor Wazma Qais, cabinet member for Communities and Leisure, said: “We are pleased with the outcome of this case and thank the Trading Standards team for their continued work to keep Solihull safe.
“We are committed to ensuring that businesses operating in the borough do so legally. This is not only for the sale of knives but for any age-restricted products, including: alcohol, tobacco, vaping products, fireworks, etc.
“The Council will continue to carry out test purchase operations throughout the borough”
Anyone with concerns about the sale of knives in the borough should contact Solihull Council on 0121 704 8001.
