By Jacob Phillips, Local Democracy Reporter
Two shops have been fined after selling knives to undercover children.
Young volunteers working with Westminster City Council and the Metropolitan Police were able to buy knives without servers asking for their age.
On August 18 last year, a 13-year-old volunteer was instructed to attempt to purchase a knife from certain shops to identify traders who would make illegal sales.
The child was able to buy a knife from Santana in Church Street, Marylebone, and the sale was witnessed by a police officer.
Just 10 months earlier, Westminster’s trading standards team had advised the shop not to sell knives to children.
At the City of London Magistrates Court on March 30, the company and its director pleaded guilty to selling a knife to a person under the age of 18.
The company was issued a fine of £700 and ordered to pay costs of £400.
The person who served the child was also fined £100 and ordered to pay costs of £85.
A second shop – London Fresh Food and Grocery Ltd, trading as Al Noor Supermarket – was also caught out on August 19 last year after a 14-year-old volunteer bought a knife in Porchester Road, Paddington.
A shop assistant pleaded guilty to selling the blade and they were fined £200.
They were also ordered to pay costs of £100. The shop was fined £1,000 after the court found the director had failed to take steps to prevent knives from being sold to children.
Pictured top: City of London Magistrates Court (Picture: Wikimedia Commons/GrimsbyT)