Police raise more concerns over shop

The Billinghay Store on Princess Square in Billinghay is to appear before North Kesteven’s Alcohol and Entertainment Licensing Sub-Committee on March 7 after police objected to an application to transfer the alcohol premises licence to Jahangir Bashir.

He would also seek to become the Designated Premises Superviser.

However, the force has concerns that Mr Bashir is a business partner of Arslan Sharif, an associate of Mohammed Hussein and Amir Sohail who were involved in running a Spar shop in Caythorpe where an illegal worker was found during a raid.

Mr Hussein was fined £10,000 and applied in January this year to take on the licence at the Billinghay store but was blocked due to the previous incident casting doubts on crime prevention at the new premises.

The police say the Billinghay shop is owned by a company of which Mr Hussein is a director and fear the possibility of further criminality occurring if granted the licence.

According to the objection, the police state that Mr Sharif is the only person running the store in Billinghay and claim that Mr Bashir is named on the applications “merely to provide a name unconnected to the previous owners.”

The papers for the committee state: “The police have yet to see any of the promised paperwork which would prove that the business has been legally sold to Mr Bashir.”

The police have submitted a file of additional documentation to support their objections.

District council officers warn the committee if the applications are rejected then the licence will revert to the previous premises licence holder and DPS, Clarin Thushyanthan Sebamalai.

They state: “Mr Sebamalai has stated that if this happens he will surrender the premises licence because he does not wish to have any further involvement with the running of this shop.”