A southern Sydney bottle shop will have its liquor licence suspended from April 4 to April 6 for illegally selling alcohol to minors.
In October 2015, police spoke with two minors aged 17 and 16 who had purchased six 750ml long-neck bottles of beer from Woronora Cellars, which trades under the name of Little Bottler.
When questioned by police, the bottle shop licensee, Peng Hu, admitted he had failed to ask for proof of age before selling the beer to the minors.
In January, Mr Hu paid a $1,100 penalty notice for the offence of selling alcohol to a minor on licensed premises, triggering consideration of a liquor-licence suspension under NSW’s Minor Sanctions Scheme.
The scheme involves escalating penalties for selling alcohol to under-18s, including licence suspensions and cancellations, and licensee disqualifications for repeat offences.
The Woronora bottle shop has become the eighth NSW venue to have its liquor licence suspended under the scheme. It has also incurred a strike under the Three Strikes scheme.
The shop has since advised that it has erected additional underage warning signs, applied to become a member of the Sutherland Liquor Accord, and is developing a draft management plan.
Liquor & Gaming NSW advises all licensed venues and their staff to check the ID of anyone who appears under the age of 25, to ensure they are of legal age before selling them alcohol, to avoid the risk of minors’ offences.