Oxford Road shop seeks new booze licence one month after losing licence

Reading Borough Council (RBC) revoked the licence of Oxford Food and Wine, 512 Oxford Road, on March 16 after shop staff were caught buying stolen alcohol from a known shoplifter and drug user on 16 occasions.

Shop owner Thinesh Sinniah was arrested by police officers after they visited his shop to investigate and found 84 stolen bottles of alcohol in the stock room on January 11.

READ MORE: Oxford Road shop loses alcohol licence after repeatedly buying stolen alcohol

A new licence application has been sent to the council by Krishnakumar Sriwijaya, with the shop now renamed Oxford Road Store.

The application is for a premises licence to sell alcohol from Monday-Sunday, 6am-11pm.

The council received the application on April 15. The closing date for representations for or against the application May 13.

Any person wishing to view the application may do so at RBC by prior arrangement between the hours of 9am to 5pm please ring 0118 9373762 to make an appointment.

The application can also be requested electronically by emailing licensing@reading.gov.uk.

Any person wishing to make a representation about the application must do so in writing to Reading Borough Council, Licensing Section, Civic Offices, Bridge Street, Reading, RG1 2LU or via email to licensing@reading.gov.uk.

Representations must relate to the four licensing objectives and contain a full name and address.

RBC's Licensing committee made the decision to revoke the licence on March 16 after receiving and hearing evidence from the police, the council’s licensing team and the shop owner.

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Councillor Deborah Edwards, chair of the council’s Licensing committee, said at the meeting: “There was sufficient evidence of failings under the licensing objectives to warrant revocation of the licence.

“The sub-committee considered a tightening of the conditions could improve the situation at the premises, but considered from what they had read and heard, they had no confidence in Mr Sinniah to actually comply with what he was required to do.

The stolen alcohol

“He had known it was wrong to purchase stolen alcohol yet continued to do so on 84 occasions. Not 16, as each bottle was considered an occasion.

“The sub-committee had no confidence in the premises licence holder to uphold the licensing objectives as he had purchased stolen alcohol because it was cheap without any consideration of the impact on other business or within the area, in fuelling crime and disorder for drug uses.”