Action against knife sales
Bexley’s Trading Standards team has successfully prosecuted GK Homeware Limited, located at 198 Upper Wickham Lane, Welling, Kent, DA16 3ED, for the illegal sale of a knife to an under 18-year-old.
GK Homeware Limited and its director, Abdul Kazemi, of 61 Pennine Way, Erith, Kent, DA7 6SH, and his son Syamoddin Kazemi, also of 61 Pennine Way, Erith, Kent, DA7 6SH, were each fined £600. They were each also required to pay a victim surcharge of £240. In addition, GK Homeware Limited was required to pay costs of £549 and Abdul Kazemi and Syamoddin Kazemi were each required to pay costs of £400.
It is an offence to sell a knife or any bladed article to persons under the age of 18 years under section 141A of the Criminal Justice Act 1988 as inserted by section 6 of the Offensive Weapons Act 1996.
The sale of knives to children can lead to very serious consequences. There is a risk of serious physical harm to children who buy these knives and to other people, as well as the risk of wider social harms associated with the circulation of weapons among children. A child purchasing a knife is also at risk of prosecution for possession of a knife.
London Borough of Bexley’s Trading Standards team regularly carries out a programme of test purchasing to verify the compliance of local shops when selling age-restricted goods.
In January 2022, GK Homeware Limited were advised about the sale of knives and about asking for proof of age from customers who appeared under the age of 25 years.
On 6 June 2022, Bexley’s Trading Standards team arranged for a volunteer who was aged 16 to make a test purchase at GK Homeware Limited. Trading Standards observed the sale of the knife to the under 18-year-old and the fact that no attempts were made to ask for photo identification.
Bexley’s Cabinet Member for Places, Cllr Peter Craske said:
“Selling knives to under 18s is illegal and a very serious offence. Policies such as asking anyone who looks under 25 for proof of identity are in place to protect the local community. Our Trading Standards team works closely with the police to ensure local businesses comply with the law. We will not hesitate to take strong action where the safety of the public is called into question in this way.”
