Pet shop owner fined $1,000 for selling goldfish to teenager

Woman put under home curfew after undercover 'sting', court told

Shop owners suspected of selling alcohol and cigarettes to underage customers have long been the target of "stings" by trading standards officials. But now a pet shop business has fallen foul of animal welfare laws by selling a goldfish to a 14-year-old boy.

He was sent in to make a test purchase by council staff investigating a complaint that the shop had previously sold a gerbil to a girl with learning difficulties who put it in a cup of coffee. The rodent subsequently died.

The teenage undercover agent bought the fish in Major Pets in Sale, Greater Manchester, without being questioned or given any information about its care. An animal welfare officer also found a <snip>atiel in the shop that was in such distress it had to be put down.

The shop owner Joan Higgins and her son Mark yesterday pleaded guilty at Trafford magistrates court to causing unnecessary suffering to the <snip>atiel and selling an animal to a person under 16 who was not accompanied by an adult. Higgins was fined $1,000 and put under home curfew between 6pm and 7am for the next seven weeks because she was unfit for community work. Her son, who manages the shop, was fined $750 and ordered to carry out 120 hours of community work.

Iain Veitch, head of public protection at Trafford council, said: "The evidence presented for this conviction clearly demonstrates that it is irresponsible to sell animals to those who are not old enough to look after them. We have many responsible pet shops in the borough. However, let this conviction send out a message that we will not tolerate those who cause unnecessary suffering to animals."