Dad and son sold 7 inch knife to child and made no attempt to check ID

Dad and son sold 7 inch knife to child and made no attempt to check ID thumbnail

A father and son have been fined £3,000 after they sold a seven-inch knife to a child.

Hardware store owner Abdul Kazemi, 47, and Syamoddin Kazemi, 19, were stung by Trading Standards last June.

Officers sent a 16-year-old into GK Homeware Limited in Welling, south-east London, to try and buy a knife.

The father and son, from Erith, didn’t ask the minor for photo ID and made no attempt to check their age before selling them the blade.

They were then hauled to court and forced to cough up a total of £2,480.

Both were fined £600, ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £240 and an extra £400 in court costs.

Magistrates also ordered the hardware store to pay an extra £549 in costs.

The Kazemis had previously been warned about the importance of asking for ID from customers who looked under 25, especially when buying knives.

Councillor 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.’

According to the Ministry of Justice, nearly 20,000 crimes were committed last year using knives and other weapons.

Almost 20% of these offenders were juveniles under the age of 18, painting a concerning picture of child knife crime in the UK.

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