A Birmingham grocery store has been fined £4,000 after a test purchase operation exposed the sale of a six-pack of kitchen knives to a 15-year-old. The employee responsible, Mohammed Anwari, was working his very first shift at Elims Green Grocery Ltd on Curdale Road when he made the illegal sale.
Both Anwari and the company, represented by director Ali Ahmad, pleaded guilty to selling an offensive weapon to a person under 18 at Birmingham Magistrates Court on Thursday, July 30. The prosecution was brought by Birmingham City Council following complaints about underage sales.
Two complaints preceded the test purchase
The council first received a complaint in 2025 that the store was selling vapes and knives to children. Officers visited the premises and gave advice to staff, including a book in which all age checks were to be recorded. But a further complaint arrived in June 2025, prompting the council to send in a test purchaser.
On October 29, 2025, a 15-year-old volunteer entered the shop while a council officer watched from inside. The teenager approached the counter and left with a set of six kitchen knives, without ever being asked for identification or how old he was.
Simon Mortimer, prosecuting, told the court: "(Anwari) was shown the knives purchased by the 15-year-old. At no point was the age of the consumer challenged." He also said: "By their pleas, the company and the employee fully accept their part in the offending."
Employee says he thought boy was sent by an adult
Anwari, who had just completed four days of training before starting the job, explained to magistrates that a woman had earlier asked about the price of the knife set. When she left, she said she would send someone else to buy it. The 15-year-old then came in, and Anwari assumed he was that person.
"Prior to this gentleman, a lady came in and asked about the price of the set of knives. She said she did not have enough money but would send someone later. When the boy came, that why I sold him the knife," Anwari said through a translator. He added: "I have been sacked and am not working. I was wrong and did commit the wrongdoing."
Company takes swift corrective action
In mitigation, the court heard that Elims Green Grocery's director, Ali Ahmad, had provided training for Anwari and had copies of the shop's age verification procedures on display. Ahmad was not in the store when the sale took place. Upon learning of the incident, he immediately fired Anwari and took the decision to stop selling knives altogether.
The court also heard that Ahmad, who purchased the business 18 months ago, earns £500 per week to support his wife and two children. The defence argued that the company had cooperated fully with the council and had changed its practices.
Combined penalties exceed £6,000
Magistrates gave both defendants credit for their early guilty pleas. Elims Green Grocery Ltd was fined £4,000 and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £1,600 and prosecution costs of £497, bringing its total to £6,097. Anwari received a fine of £200, a surcharge of £80, and costs of £497, totalling £777.
Under the Criminal Justice Act 1988, it is an offence to sell a knife or knife-like article to anyone under the age of 18. Trading standards teams across the country use test purchases to enforce such laws, and businesses found in breach can face substantial financial penalties.
The case at Elims Green Grocery demonstrates how retailers can be held accountable for failing to check the age of customers buying age-restricted goods, even when the employee involved is new to the job.
