A shopkeeper whose store sold alcohol to a 14-year-old girl has been heavily fined.

Graham Stell, licensee of the Maid Marrion Food Store, in Braithwaite Avenue, Keighley, was ordered to pay a total of £466 yesterday after pleading guilty to selling intoxicating liquor at Bingley Magistrates Court.

And his shop assistant Julie Cullwick, 32, of Northdean Road, Keighley, also pleaded guilty to selling alcohol to an under-age person.

Richard Winter, prosecuting on behalf of West Yorkshire Trading Standards Service, said the offence occurred in September last year when an enforcement officer, Paul Smith, entered the premises with a 14-year-old schoolgirl, the daughter of an employee of the service.

He said: "The schoolgirl was not refused or asked to provide ID. She asked to purchase a 2.5 litre bottle of Woodpecker Cider.

"This particular type of alcohol is one that children tend to purchase because at £2.99 it is relatively cheap."

Stell, 35, of Braithwaite Avenue, and Cullwick were immediately interviewed by Mr Smith. She told him that she thought the minimum age for purchasing alcohol was 16 and had mixed it up with the age limit for buying cigarettes. She thought the girl who bought the cider was 17.

Culwick had worked at the store for over three-and-a -half years and had received verbal training from Mr Stell and from the previous licence holder.

Mr Stell said he had been involved in the licensing trade for 16 years and had been on a training course in Leeds before being granted his license.

He also admitted receiving a warning letter from the West Yorkshire Advisory Service before the incident informing him there of a complaint about selling alcohol to under-18s.

On the night in question he thought the girl was 18 years of age, though he denied seeing the sale take place.

In mitigation, Stell told the bench: "I was very busy at the time. It was a very hard period in my life, I was working a lot of hours and trying to get everything in place. I am sorry for what has happened and I have tried to rectify it."

Cullwick said: "I am sorry. I should have asked for ID but didn't. I don't know what else to say other than that I am really, really sorry. I should have been more careful. It was my mistake."

The bench fined her £80 plus £70 costs payable at £10 a week.

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