Alcohol licence at Cambridge shop suspended for three months after teen sold can of gin

A Cambridge shop’s alcohol licence has been suspended after a teenager was sold a can of gin while it was under previous management.

Cambridge city councillors decided that alcohol cannot be sold at Luxa Sparkles in Cherry Hinton Road for three months.

The shop is in the process of being sold to a new owner, who told councillors he will rebrand the shop as Premier Cambridge Convenience Store and turn it around.

A licence review hearing was called after Trading Standards conducted a test purchase in August after receiving complaints about the shop.

During it, a can of gin was sold to a volunteer 16-year-old.

Police also raised concerns about the shop after they were contacted by a parent who alleged their teenage son was sold cigarettes.

These incidents came just months after councillors were assured there would be “big changes” at the former family shop by Luxa Shiny Mariflo, who said she would be taking over control from her parents. Her pledge came after councillors heard an illegal worker who came into the country by a small boat had been caught selling a vape to a teenager at the shop.

However, Mariflo Martyanayagam went on to sell the can of gin to the teenager.

In a statement, he said he was “completely devastated” and said in hindsight he should not have offered to help in the shop that day due to his “state of mind”, as he had been experiencing family issues with his estranged wife. Following the incident, the decision was made to sell the shop and the alcohol licence was transferred on 23 September to Nadarajah Sasikumar, who is buying it.

Jane Gilliead told a licensing sub-committee on 22 October that there was no link between Mr Sasikumar and the previous management. She added that he had an “unblemished record”.

Ms Gilliead said: “[Mr Sasikumar] is aware there have been problems at the shop and is aware of what needs to be done.

“He has never had any problems, and never had any fines, or failures of any test purchasing exercises at his other businesses, and he intends to run this premises in the same way.

“He is aware of the reputation [of the shop] and that is not something he wants anything to do with. He wants to turn it around and run it in the same style as his other premises.”

Mr Sasiumar is bringing in his own staff and will be implementing new training measures, she said.

But Cllr Russ McPherson (Lab, Cherry Hinton) said: “There is going to be some trepidation about this because of the history and the fact that we did take a chance last time in the hope that the business would be able to continue in proper and legal way, which obviously has not happened.

“I fully accept you want to rename the premises, bring in different staff - I get all that - but people are creatures of habit. You have got young people who will turn up and attempt to purchase items outside the legal licence.

“How is that going to be mitigated? How are you going to get through to those people ‘do not come to this premises, it is not going to happen’?”

Mr Sasikumar told councillors that he has been running businesses since 2008, and is running a shop in Haverhill with a 24-hour premises licence, with 14 members of staff.

He said he has training in place that needs to be completed every three months and retaken if any staff members fail.

Mr Sasikumar added that he operates Challenge 25 and has clear signage up to explain that people will be asked for ID.

He also pays an independent company to conduct unannounced test purchases every few months to check that staff ask for ID - and said his business has never failed any of these.

Mr Sasikumar said he recognised taking on the shop in Cambridge would be a “challenge” due to its history but would rebrand it as a Premier franchise store.

He told councillors that if he failed at this shop he would lose his other businesses, so would not take risks.

Mr Sasikumar said he could arrange for the test purchases at the Cambridge store and confirmed he would have CCTV throughout the shop.

After a discussion in private, the sub-committee announced they would be suspending the licence for three months.

Councillors shared concerns that Mr Sasikumar did not appear to be clear on the current refusals register and raised concerns that there had been a delay between Mr Sasikumar taking over the licence and him beginning to implement changes at the shop.

Cllr McPherson said they would also be adding new conditions to the licence and recommended extra support be provided by the council in the form of a licence inspection six months after the end of the suspension.

Mr Sasikumar can appeal within 21 days.