AN Ammanford newsagents business has been fined £225 for selling cigarettes to an under-age child.
A child volunteer successfully purchased tobacco at Amman News in Station Road, Tirydail, as part of Operation AMEC – the ongoing survey into trader compliance regarding the sale of age-restricted products in Carmarthenshire.
Carmarthen Magistrates Court heard that the Premises Licence holder and Designated Premises Supervisor Mr Bala Pulendrathasan was not present at the time of the sale. Amman News is the trading name of Venita UK & International Ltd. The company director Kumarasamoy Gunasingham is not involved in the day-to-day running of the business. This task has been delegated to Mr Pulendrathasan.
Mr Gunasingham attended on behalf of the company and entered a guilty plea in respect of an offence contrary to Section 7 of the Children and Young Persons Act 1993 – selling cigarettes to a person under the age of 18.
Carmarthenshire County Council trading standards officer James Lee witnessed the sale and conducted a brief interview under caution with the seller, Sasikumar Sankaran, immediately afterwards.
During the initial interview Mr Sankaran said that he had not received training regarding the sale of age-restricted products to minors. He later changed his story when interviewed for a second time. On this occasion he claimed that he had received full training by Mr Pulendrathasan regarding the sale of age-restricted products to children. This claim was supported by Pulendrathasan who produced some signed training documents for Sankaran when he attended a recorded interview.
The company was fined £225 and ordered to pay £353.56 costs.
Council executive board member for public protection Cllr Jim Jones said: “The county council takes a very serious view of the sale of age-restricted products to children. The consequences of these sales can be far reaching.
“We are determined to ensure that shops do not sell cigarettes, or other age-restricted items, to those who are too young.”
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