Knife sellers allowed to ply deadly trade

10.00.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Wed 23rd Jul 2008

None of the people caught selling knives to young people in the last five years were sent to prison and only one was given a community sentence, according to figures revealed by the Liberal Democrats

The figures also show that the average fine given out was just £411.

The information, given in Parliamentary Answers to Liberal Democrat Shadow Home Secretary, Chris Huhne, shows how:

· Only 71 people have been successfully prosecuted for selling knives to the children in the last five years

· None were sent to prison and only one was given a community sentence

· 56 were fined, of those 11 were given a fine of between £50 and £100, a further 10 were given fines of less than £200

· In the last 5 years 42 people (75% of all those fined) were given fines of less than £500

· The total value of the fines levied against the 56 people caught selling knives to kids between 2002 and 2006 was £23,025

· The average fine was just £411.16

Commenting, Liberal Democrat Shadow Home Secretary, Chris Huhne said:

"Unscrupulous shopkeepers who sell knives to kids are profiting from the violence on our streets.

"It is unacceptable that so few of them are being punished and those that do are being given such pitiful fines.

"If we are to tackle knife crime, a strong message must be sent to those who ply this deadly trade.

"Fining them a few hundred quid is not going to do that."