Solihull Council has successfully prosecuted a shop for the underage sale of razor blades. Bosworth Food Stores Ltd, at 151 Bosworth Drive, Chelmsley Wood, was fined £600, with £250 towards costs and a victim surcharge of £240, giving a total of £1,090, by Birmingham Magistrates Court on 15 June.
The razor blades were sold to a 17-year-old test purchase volunteer at Bosworth Food Stores Ltd on 15 October 2022 and no age-related checks were carried out. It is an offence to sell a bladed article to any person under the age of 18 under Section 141(A) of the Criminal Justice Act.
On 15 May Birmingham Magistrates Court convicted the company in its absence but did not proceed to sentence. On 15 June, the director of the company, Mr Mohammed Azeem attended court, and his company was fined a total of £1,090 which is to be paid in 28 days.
This is the third prosecution for an underage knife or blade sale arising from a test purchase operation carried out last October.
Councillor Wazma Qais, Cabinet Member for Communities & Leisure, said:
“I am pleased that we have successfully prosecuted another shop for the unlawful sale of a bladed article. All retailers need to comply with their legal obligations. Our test purchase operations and resulting prosecutions and fines serve as an important reminder.
“If just one knife or blade falls into the wrong hands the consequences could be tragic. I would like to thank our Trading Standards team for their work on tackling knife and blade crime and keeping us safe.
“The Council’s Trading Standards team continues to carry out test purchase operations. If you have concerns about the sale of knives or blades in Solihull, please call 0121 704 8001.”