A LICENSEE with 30-years experience who sold alcohol to a 15-year-old council volunteer has escaped with a warning.

Selliah Ranjan, licensee of Moylers, in Calcutta Road, Tilbury was hauled in front of a Thurrock Council sub-committee on Wednesday, December 4 after he sold a 700ml bottle of Bacardi Breezer to the teen, who was volunteering with the council’s trading standards team.

Although the committee considered reviewing the license of the premises no action was taken although Trading Standards and Essex Police had asked for a review and new conditions on the licence.

The licence and ownership of the store had previously been transferred to Mr Ranjan by Sunil Kumar Devadasan, and while Mr Ranjan did have experience as a licence holder he had recently undertaken training, along with other store employees, around the sale of alcohol and other age-restricted goods.

Cllr Mike Stone, chairing the meeting, said the sub-committee took into account that appropriate training had already taken place and demanded an additional CCTV camera was installed outside the store.

Cllr Stone said: “I’d like to express our disappointment that Mr Ranjan failed the test purchase and it was a tough call whether we would remove him from the licence.”

“This was a difficult decision complicated by the transfer of the licence so recently. I thought it important Mr Ranjan realised this was a last chance and other licensees should take note too.

“We take the sale of alcohol to minors very seriously indeed. One warning is all you’ll get.”