The landlords of The Old Crown pub in Highgate have been fined £1,882 following a recent court case brought by Islington Council.
Mr and Mrs McSharry of The Old Crown, 90 Highgate Hill, London, N19 were last week found guilty of substituting three well known brands of alcohol.
During a routine inspection of the pub, a Trading Standards Officer carried out a screen test on a number of the spirits on offer behind the bar. Those tests led him to believe that the contents of the bottles labelled as Bells' Whisky, Gordon's Gin and Smirnoff Vodka were not what they should be. Formal samples were then taken of the bottles under suspicion.
Tests by the Public Analyst confirmed that despite the label, the contents of the three bottles were not as advertised. The case was heard at Highbury Corner Magistrates' Court on Friday 20 October 2006, when the McSharrys were found guilty of three offences under the Food Safety Act. They were fined £250 for each offence and ordered to pay the costs of £1,132.
Cllr George Allan, Executive Member for Customer Focus, said: "The practice of substituting cheap spirits into branded bottles, and passing them off as more expensive products is illegal.
"If licensees substitute spirits they risk prosecution.
"The overwhelming majority of pubs in Islington comply with the law but the message for those that don't is clear: if you cheat the public in Islington, we will prosecute you."
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Page Last Updated: 29 July 2008