Preston shop owner fined after knife sold to child in test purchase sting
A Preston shop owner has been fined after a knife was illegally sold to a 14-year-old during a trading standards test purchase operation.
Dilavar Husain Patel, owner of Brookfield Newsagents on Langcliffe Road, pleaded guilty at Preston Magistrates’ Court to selling a knife to a child during a county-wide crackdown on underage knife sales.
The case marks the first prosecution of its kind brought by Lancashire County Council’s Trading Standards team.
Mr Patel admitted the sale, which was made by an employee during Operation Sceptre in May 2025 - a joint operation with Lancashire Police that saw young volunteers attempt to buy knives from high street and online retailers.
A total of 77 shops were visited as part of the week-long operation.
Selling a knife to anyone under the age of 18 is a criminal offence.
Patel was fined £500 and ordered to pay £100 costs and a £200 victim surcharge, bringing the total penalty to £800.
Councillor Joshua Roberts, Lancashire County Council’s cabinet member for Rural Affairs, Environment and Communities, said: “Protecting our young people from being able to buy knives is a vital part of preventing knife crime, and it’s appalling to see a local business selling a knife to a child.
“This is the first prosecution taken by Lancashire Trading Standards for the sale of a knife to a child and future prosecutions will be considered for any shops that break the law.”
He added that joint operations such as Operation Sceptre allow authorities to take strong action against traders who “put money before the safety of their customers and our community”.
Anyone wishing to report the sale of age-restricted goods to under-18s can contact Lancashire County Council online.