Police officer calls for Northampton store's alcohol licence to be revoked

The incident happened during a joint test-purchasing operation by trading standards and police at the Kenmuir Avenue Convenience Store in Kingsley on December 15 last year.

A girl aged 15 was sent into the shop to see if she would be asked for ID when buying a bottle of Strongbow cider. The shopworker sold her the drink but police officers found out soon after that the shop had just committed a separate offence.

In evidence for the borough council's licensing panel next week, PC Chris Stevens says: "To exacerbate the situation, the person making making teh sale of alcohol had no legal entitlement to work in the country."

Although the man who sold the cider insisted he wasn't an employee but was covering for a worker while she went to the toilet, the police officers did not believe him and arrested him.

After the licence of the shop was called in for review, licence holder Amirthalingham Krishnakumar said he had not heard from the worker since his arrest

PC Stevens said Mr Krishnakumar was fully aware of the consequences that employing illegal workers can have but "continued to have no regard for the law in this area."

PC Stevens added that he could not see that councillors had any choice but to revoke the premises licence of the shop.