Teachers had to get involved when a Monifieth convenience store was caught routinely selling alcohol to a 14-year-old schoolgirl in uniform.
Arsalan Haider, 29, the sole liquor licence holder at the family-run Monifieth Premier Store, had told the child to wait until the shop was empty before approaching the till with her illicit booze.
A court heard that in August 2021, the teenager “tried her luck” at the Mortimer Drive shop and presented a bottle of 15% raspberry flavoured Sourz liqueur at the counter.
She was not asked for ID so began buying alcohol from Haider on a weekly basis until her teachers found out and contacted her mother.
Since being caught, Haider’s shop has been subject to spot checks by licensing board inspectors and he says it has been targeted by thieving schoolchildren.
Wearing uniform to buy booze
Fiscal depute Stewart Hamilton told Forfar Sheriff Court: “The person in question who the accused served is an S4 pupil at a local high school, aged 14 at the time of the offence.
“On an occasion at the end of August 2021, said child was on her way home and entered the store to purchase food.
“She collected a bottle of raspberry Sourz and took it to the till to chance her luck and was successful without any attempt to identify her age.
“The witness was wearing a school uniform at that time.
“The following week she attended, the same circumstances occurred and she wasn’t challenged.
“This became and almost weekly event, with the accused informing her not to present herself at the till until the shop was clear of other customers.
“Effectively, the incidents came to light through staff at the school informing the child’s mother.
“It was the child’s mother who reported her concern to the police.”
Haider attended at Arbroath Police Station on a voluntary basis and gave a no comment interview, except to confirm he was a liquor licence holder.
‘Major failure’ by accused
At court, he admitted selling alcohol to the child, who cannot be named for legal reasons, between August 27 and October 30 last year.
The court heard Haider was awarded a decade-long licence to sell alcohol at the shop in March 2018.
Defence solicitor Ross Donnelly told the court: “What happens to his licence is a matter for the licensing board.
“He’s held the licence for some years.
“They have conducted a number of spot checks since then.
“This is a shop which is clearly now under their attention.
“Any mishap on his part could result in immediate and probably permanent removal of his licence.
“Mr Haider accepts a fairly major failure on his part.”
Shoplifting target
Mr Donnelly said Haider, of Lossie Place in Lochee, now operates to “the other extreme”, to the chagrin of school-age shoplifters who target his shop.
“The children obviously received word this was the shop.
“Because of Mr Haider’s new view, he has had to deal with a number of occasions where pupils have come into the shop and tried to steal items and cause trouble because he is now implementing this process as he should have done to begin with.”
Sheriff Derek Reekie fined Haider £470.
The sheriff told him: “Selling alcohol to schoolchildren is a very serious, dangerous thing to do and has obvious risk for them.
“This is hopefully a wake-up call to you.”
