Shop where alleged assault on one-year-old took place could lose licence
A shop where a one-year-old was allegedly assaulted by a member of staff could lose its licence after reportedly selling alcohol to underage customers.
Yardley Cut Price/Broad News on Broadstone Road, Yardley, in Birmingham, is facing a licence review next week after alcohol was sold to a 15-year-old girl sent into the shop by Trading Standards.
The test purchase followed a complaint by a member of the public about the shop back in November 2019, after she claims to have found cans of beer in her 15-year-old’s room supplied by the shop.
On finding the cans the mother says she went to Yardley Cut Price to confront the shop owners, planning on showing the shop keepers pictures of her son and his friends so that they would not be served again.
However upon visiting the shop it is reported that the confrontation became "very heated", with West Midlands Police stating: “There are in total five crimes recorded for that incident, including an allegation of an assault on a one-year-old child by staff, and then counter allegations by staff and members of the family.”
No charges have been filed over the incident, with the shop’s CCTV not working at the time. However, the complaint did result in a visit to the shop by Trading Standards, where the owners were warned about the dangers of selling alcohol and tobacco to underage kids and their responsibilities as licence holders.
This was followed up in February with a test purchase, carried out by Trading Standards, in which a 14 and 15-year-old girl entered the premises and attempted to purchase alcohol.
“On Thursday 20 February 2020 Trading Standards conducted an underage test purchase exercise with two female volunteers who were 14 and 15 years old,” the report notes.
“The volunteers went into Yardley Cut Price/Broad News at 11.25am and the 15 year old girl was sold a four pack of 4.0 per cent alcohol WKD alcopop drink for £4.99.
“The sale was observed by Trading Standards enforcement officer Naseem Shamas. The young volunteers were not asked their age or for any identification at all during the sales process.”
It is also alleged by West Midlands Police that the shop has been supplying alcohol on a credit-based system to customers who cannot afford it, which they say “shows that the premise is not being socially responsible, if a person cannot afford the alcohol they should not be given it.”
In the past the shop has also faced accusations of supplying counterfeit or illicit cigarettes and tobacco.
The hearing is set to be heard next Monday.
