Shopowner in underage booze sting sells business
A corner shop owner has decided to call it a day after police slammed an application to transfer a licence to sell alcohol as an “exercise in damage control”.
Bulent Ok has sold Capitol Express in Snowdon Parade, Vinter’s Park for £30,000, shortly after buying out business partner and brother Ferhat. It had been in the family for 15 years.
The pair have twice been caught red-handed selling booze to minors in test purchases. The first was in March 2013 when Bulent Ok sold alcohol to a teen under 18. In March this year Ferhat Ok made a similar sale.
Trading Standards are investigating and depending on the outcome the pair could face thousands of pounds in fines.
Maidstone Borough Council’s licensing sub committee was due to discuss Bulent Ok’s application to take on his brother’s licence today (Thursday) something vehemently opposed by PC Neil Barnes of Kent Police.
He said: “The premises has a history of problems and we believe this application is simply a paperwork exercise in damage control. As a result of the most recent failed test purchase, police believe this transfer is simply an attempt to suggest significant changes have been made to negate the necessity for further action.”
Bulent Ok, 40, said of the 2013 purchase that he only served the customer because his brother was busy, but believed the buyer was of legal age.
Of the second incident, he said the buyer pressured his brother for 11 minutes before he eventu- ally allowed a sale. This is disputed by Kent County Council.
Mr Ok said: “This is my livelihood and I am not a criminal. I believe once the law changed and licensing control passed to the local authority, the council has seen it as another way to make money.”
The application has now been withdrawn.
A spokesman for KCC, said: “The purpose of a test purchase operation is not to trick an unwitting shopkeeper, but to identify those who deliberately flout the law on age-restricted sales.
KCC Trading Standards cannot comment further in relation to ongoing investigations until that process is complete.”