A CORNER shop is facing a licence review following claims by a mum that her underage daughter was rushed to hospital after drinking vodka from the shop.

In a statement to the Met Police, shared in council documents, an unnamed mum claimed her underage daughter was hospitalised after allegedly drinking vodka from the shop on Heath Road on May 6. She said: “I asked my daughter what happened and she informed me they had gone to Twickenham Local, it has a green front and it’s on Twickenham High Street. The group paid with cash for a full bottle of vodka that was £14.”

Speaking about finding her daughter, she also said: “My stomach dropped and felt horrified as I saw my daughter covered in vomit, unconscious on the floor. When I spoke to her she was able to respond to me. We got her into the car and took her to West Middlesex Hospital A&E who were able to see her quite quickly.”

The Met Police has asked for Twickenham Local’s licence to be revoked after complaints the shop has been selling booze to under-18s.

Richmond Council’s licensing sub-committee meeting heard on Tuesday that police had received “a significant quantity of intelligence” from worried locals. Owner Manmit Golati said staff don’t sell booze to under-18s, always check IDs and only serve people who show their own IDs. His representative said there was “no evidence” for any of the allegations. 

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Speaking at the meeting, the police’s lawyer Jonathan Welch said: “Selling alcohol to children is not funny and it’s not responsible. It’s incredibly dangerous and is of course illegal and flatly contrary to those licensing objectives.”

He added: “A repeated theme of the public complaints is a concern about youths gathering on Twickenham Green causing antisocial behaviour and there’s a concern that this is aggravated and enabled by underage sales taking place at this particular premises which is nearby. Police have grave concerns both about the antisocial behaviour element and also, given the nearby busy roads, that an intoxicated child may be seriously injured as a result.” 

Mr Welch said CCTV from the date of the alleged incident on May 6 shows staff serving a “juvenile who is using someone else’s ID card” after being initially refused when she showed her phone. Mr Golati said she went outside to get her own ID before being served.

Mr Welch later said: “It’s clear as I said what’s going on here, which is that those working behind the counter are accepting IDs on phones and IDs of others than those who are actually buying the items.” 

Surendra Panchal, speaking on behalf of owner Manmit Golati, said there was “no evidence” for any of the incidents raised by police – including anyone being hospitalised after drinking booze from the shop. He said: “There are no evidences. I’m really surprised that there are no evidences – there is only hearsay, that you hear somebody at the hospital saying that I bought the alcohol from XYZ shop.”

He said Mr Golati keeps to licensing conditions “robustly”, cooperates fully with authorities, that staff log all refusals to sell booze, and that the shop has “full support from the community”. A police cadet who tried to buy booze from the shop on February 17 as part of the investigation was also refused, which Mr Panchal said was “because the full licensing objectives, the children from harm, are promoted and are looked at by all the staff”. 

Mr Golati claimed his staff do not sell booze to under-18s, receive regular training and don’t serve anyone unless they show their own ID. The dad-of-two said: “I personally don’t want anyone to do this to my kids either, which we never do.”

In an earlier statement, he said: “I feel that I have been targeted because of my religion and appearance and have many times been verbally abused in my shop alongside my staff.”

Mr Welch told Tuesday’s hearing that the police had received “overwhelming evidence from a variety of sources in this case and that is why the decision to apply for a review has been made”. 

The police want the licence to be revoked, while Mr Golati has suggested modifying the existing licence’s conditions. Richmond Council’s licensing sub-committee will make a decision in the coming days.