A woman identified on CCTV after an appeal by local media has been given an £80 fine after buying four-litres of alcohol for young girls – who later ended up drunk by Lancaster canal.
The three 12-year-olds had approached the 36-year-old woman outside a store in Lancaster and asked her to buy them two two-litre bottles of cider in November last year. The girls ended up in a vulnerable position at the side of an unlit section of the Lancaster canal and police were contacted after a parent found them and took them home.
“The woman was incredibly sorry for what she had done and said she had thought that the girls were older than they were,” said PC Phil Ladlow, community beat manager for Lancaster’s Bulk ward,”but this is no excuse for such irresponsible behaviour.
“Buying alcohol for those who are under age is not only breaking the law but it is also dangerous, as shown by this incident. Alcohol impairs your senses and these young girls were left in a very vulnerable situation where they were open to harm.
“Buying alcohol for youngsters can also lead to booze-fuelled criminal damage and anti-social behaviour.”
“The message is simple – don’t buy alcohol for kids,” PC Ladlow added. “You could get an £80 fine, but the dangerous consequences of your actions could have even more devastating affects for all those involved.”