Shop owner in Desborough Road, High Wycombe has licence to sell alcohol revoked

N&N Newsagent, Desborough Road. (Archive picture)

The owner of a High Wycombe shop owner has had his licence to sell alcohol revoked after Magistrates heard about a string of licensing offences.

Evidence presented in court revealed that despite repeated warnings Mr Muthaya of N&N Newsagents, 274 Desborough Road, High Wycombe had committed a series of offences dating back to December 2017, just three months after he had been granted a licence to sell alcohol.

In December 2017 the licensing team at Wycombe District Council issued Mr Muthaya a warning for a beach of his licence. Within weeks of this warning trading standards officers found £2,000 worth of illegal tobacco products on the premises and they requested a review of the premises licence.

During this premises licence review process police officers found evidence of under age alcohol sales all of which was brought to the attention of a licensing panel in August 2018. After hearing all the evidence from Mr Muthaya and his legal representative, Wycombe District Council’s licensing committee agreed to revoke the premises licence for sale of alcohol.

Mr Muthaya appealed this decision, which meant he could continue to use his licence until the case went before the Magistrates Court. In January 2019 trading standards visited the premises again and once again found illegal tobacco in the shop, some of which was crudely hidden in the shop toilet room.

Action taken by Wycombe District Council working in partnership with Thames Valley Police and local trading standards officers led to Mr Muthaya of NN Newsagents, 274 Desborough Road, High Wycombe dropping his appeal minutes before his court appearance at Wycombe Magistrates Court last week.

However the day before the Magistrates Court hearing, police and Wycombe District Council licensing officers visited the premises and found multiple breaches of the licence.

Wycombe District Council wrote to Mr Muthaya and his legal representatives on a number of occasions regarding the increasing costs of continuing his appeal and taking up Court time. At the last minute, at the door steps of the court, licence to sell alcohol withdrew his appeal.

Mr Muthaya was ordered to pay £3,000 towards the council’s costs. He has offered to pay £100 per month. This will be enforced by Wycombe District Council separately.

Mr Muthaya’s licence to sell alcohol was revoked with immediate effect and he has been ordered to remove all alcohol from his shop.

Cabinet Member for Environment at Wycombe District Councils, Cllr Julia Adey, commented: ‘When businesses repeatedly ignore the conditions of their licence, we use our strong local partnership with the police and trading standards to take action and protect the public.

In this case, the licensee only has himself to blame. If only he had listened to clear and repeated warnings and taken action, he would still have his licence.‘