A recently married man from Young was convicted and ordered to pay a $500 fine to the Secretary of Health in Young Local Court last Tuesday after he was found to have sold tobacco products to minors.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Bhadranna Manjunath of Young was represented by Mr Carmody in Young Local Court as he faced the charge of selling tobacco products to a person under 18 years of age.
It was the 33-year-old local resident’s first offence.
Mr Manjunath plead guilty to the charge in front of Magistrate Dare and representative from Murrumbidgee Health District, Mr Harding.
Mr Carmody explained to Magistrate Dare S.C. that Mr Manjunath had been under “a great lot of stress” both at work and in his personal life.
“Mr Manjunath took his eye off the ball when two young girls came up to the counter at the business where he worked.” he said.
“Mr Manjunath was on the phone to relatives in India and trying to organise care for his father,” Mr Carmody said.
He alleged that Mr Manjunath wasn’t paying attention to the girls and didn’t ask them for identification.
“There was a tall one and a short one,” Mr Carmody said.
Magistrate Dare said that this was a serious issue.
“It’s a pretty serious matter and we should look at the legislation,” Magistrate Dare said.
In New South Wales it is illegal to sell tobacco, non-tobacco smoking products, e-cigarettes or e-cigarette accessories to a person under the age of 18.
The maximum penalty for selling any of these products to minors is, in the case of an individual, $11,000 for a first offence or $55,000 for a second or subsequent offence.
Mr Carmody agreed that it was an unfortunate set of circumstances that led Mr Manjunath to be in this position.
But Magistrate Dare believed that it shouldn’t have happened at all.
“It’s a matter of grave responsibility for people that are selling these products,” Magistrate Dare said.
According to Police at approximately 11.55 am on Tuesday October 4, 2016 while Mr Manjunath was working at a local business, two girls, a 15 year old and a 16 year old entered the business and approached the counter where Mr Manjunath was working.
One of the girls asked for a packet of Winfield Blue cigarettes which Mr Manjunath sold to the girl without asking for ID or her age.
When approached later Mr Manjunath did not deny selling the cigarettes to the child and when asked why he did not ask for identification he stated "I normally do ask, as that is the criteria. I shouldn't have done it."
