united-kingdom criminal-law court alcohol age
Convictions for not doing age verification check for selling alcohol
<p>The following questions are about selling alcohol in the United Kingdom.</p>
<ul>
<li>Has anyone ever been convicted by a court for the only reason they did not do an
age verification check?</li>
<li>What evidence would be accepted in a court to prove that someone looks under 18 years old?</li>
</ul>

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<p>It's not a criminal offence to fail to do an age verification check.</p>
<p>It is a criminal offence to sell alcohol to children (people under 18 years old). It is a defence that either the seller took all reasonable steps to establish the buyer's age or nobody could reasonably have suspected from the buyer's appearance that they were under 18. (<a href="https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2003/17/section/146" rel="nofollow noreferrer">sale of alcohol to children s146 Licensing Act 2003</a>)</p>
<p>It is mandatory (i.e. a requirement of licensing) for all licensed premises and those with a club premises certificate to have an age verification policy (<a href="https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukdsi/2014/9780111116906" rel="nofollow noreferrer">The Licensing Act 2003 (Mandatory Licensing Conditions) (Amendment) Order 2014</a>).</p>
<p>At minimum this requires 'the responsible person' (the person selling alcohol) to request identification (with photograph, date of birth, and a holographic mark or an ultraviolet feature) from individuals who appear to be younger than 18 years old. <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/350507/2014-08-29_MC_Guidance_v1_0.pdf" rel="nofollow noreferrer">The Home Office has produced guidance including a 'model policy'</a>.</p>
