Eason to pay €2,200 after minor buys cigarettes

EASON has agreed to donate a four-figure sum to charity and pay court costs to avoid a conviction after selling cigarettes to a minor.

And the bookseller has since introduced ‘refresher training’ for staff in all branches and automatic ‘ till prompts’ to alert staff when a cigarette pack is scanned.

Eason was summonsed to appear at Dublin District Court to face a charge under the Public Health Tobacco Act for selling tobacco to a person under the age of 18 at its shop in the Pavillion Shopping Centre in Swords, Co. Dublin.

The prosecution was brought by the Health Service Executive. The company pleaded guilty to the charge.

Adrian Lennon, prosecuting, told Judge John O’Neill the offence was committed on May 6.

The company was co-operative and informed the HSE a week in advance of the hearing of its intention to plead guilty, he said.

Mr Lennon told the court the firm had no prior convictions and had agreed to pay €1,230 in prosecution costs.

Judge O’Neill was told by the defence that the bookseller had set up new procedures to prevent it happening again. These included ‘refresher training’ of staff and ‘till prompts’.

Eason was also willing to donate a sum of charity, the judge said.

Judge O’Neill said Eason was a reputable company which had pleaded guilty and had no previous convictions.

He adjourned the case for three weeks and said he would strike out the charge if the costs are paid and €1,000 is donated to suicide prevention charity Pieta House.