The newsagent was sentenced at Barkingside Magistrates' Court (Image: Archant)
A newsagent has been fined £500 for selling cigarettes to a 15 year-old girl.
Hincir Limited, which owns Westbury News, in Ripple Road, Barking, was found guilty of one count of selling tobacco to an under-18 at Barkingside Magistrates’ Court on May 6, following a test-purchase by Trading Standards last summer.
Shop owner Hasan Sircan was also forced to pay £768 costs to the council, plus a £50 victim surcharge.
The sale took place when he left the store for an unexplained emergency, leaving an inexperienced staff member on the tills.
Cllr Laila Butt, cabinet member for enforcement and community, said: “There’s simply no excuse for shop owners selling cigarettes to youngsters.”
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