4:10pm Tuesday 16th March 2010
By Jen Rivett
A SOLDIER on leave from Afghanistan was not allowed to buy a bottle of whisky as his step-daughter was with him.
Sergeant Keith Cotton, who was on rest days before returning to the Royal Logistic Corps, based in Northern Ireland, was shocked when a cashier at Carterton’s Co-operative supermarket refused to sell him the spirit while shopping with 15-year-old Krystal Mitchel.
The cashier said that she could not serve him, as his daughter did not have any identification.
Sgt Cotton, of Upavon Way, Carterton, who was not in uniform when he made the purchase, said: “I was shocked, I have never complained about anything in my life before. I am not a person who gripes.
“I have come back from six months in Afghanistan, and to deal with that sort of jobsworth.
“It was common sense, as it was pretty obvious it was for me.
“Does this mean that anyone else buying alcohol with their children are not allowed to?”
The father-of-four, who will returned to the army this week, added: “I was in a good chirpy mood, and it really ruined my evening. I really thought it was a wind up and that somebody would jump out, like a Jeremy Beadle moment.”
The incident happened on Wednesday afternoon, as Sgt Cotton went to buy milk and bread with Krystal.
The 40-year-old said: “I then went to the self-service counter and proceeded to put my goods through the scanner. My daughter picked up the first two items and scanned them herself, a carton of milk and a packet of sweets, and then I took over. As I did so, the cashier called to me that she wanted to see ID for my daughter. I laughed at her thinking she was messing around, so I continued to scan the goods.
“Just as I was about to pay, the woman asked to see age verification for my daughter again, and I still thought she was winding me up. It soon became apparent she was serious.”
Lorna Bishop, spokesman for Midcounties Co-operative, said: “As a responsible community retailer, we have strict procedures on alcohol sales. If we suspect a customer is under 25 years old, we will ask for proof of age identification, and if we have suspicion that the purchase is being made for someone else, we are legally bound to refuse the sale. We apologise if this has caused any embarrassment, but we are legally required to refuse such a sale.”
Sgt Cotton added: “I understand that there is a problem with people buying alcohol by proxy, but I don’t exactly look like a chav, and I am a serving senior NCO.
“After recently returning from Afghanistan, I can’t believe the jobsworthiness of this woman, as it was plain to see I was doing a normal shopping like all the other thousands of people every day do with their children present.
“I even offered to take her home and come back later on my own, but they said I couldn’t do that either.”
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