Store fined after 14-year-old girl sold cigarettes
Print11 May 2023
A retail outlet in Tuam has been convicted at the local court of selling cigarettes to a 14-year-old girl.
The Connacht Tribune recently reported that as part of a random check on retail outlets by the HSE, the premises known as Mac’s Place at the N17 Plaza on Galway Road, Tuam was inspected.
The defendants, Mac’s Place Limited with an address at Ballybrit Business Park, Galway, admitted the offence. They were fined €1,000 and ordered to pay €600 in costs to the HSE who brought the case.
According to Judge James Faughnan, while it was largely down to staff members to comply with the laws on the sale of tobacco, “the buck stops with the owners; they are the people in charge”.
The Judge also ordered that two days of restricted sales apply to the owners. Subsequently, there can be no tobacco sales on these two days which were identified to the court.
Defending solicitor Thelma McMahon told the court that the particular staff member no longer worked for the company and that the matter was taken very seriously by the defendants.
She explained that the company carried out regular “refresher training” involving all members of staff. She added that all staff were familiar with the laws surrounding age-restricted products. On learning what had happened, McMahon said the staff member went through a disciplinary process, subsequently went out on leave and did not return.
For further details on this story, click on The Connacht Tribune article here.
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