Kitchen knife sold by Mr Mustafa Deger to underage teenager
Barnet Council has successfully prosecuted a shop owner for selling a kitchen knife to an undercover 15-year-old.
Mr Mustafa Deger, owner of convenience and household goods shop ‘Good for You’, 114 Brent Street, Hendon, was caught selling the knife to the teenager during an undercover operation in December 2025.
Deger pleaded guilty at Willesden Magistrates Court in May and was ordered to pay fines totalling £4,100.
The council’s Trading Standards team conducted a number of undercover test purchasing visits across the borough as part of Operation Sceptre, where police cadets were tasked with trying to purchase a knife. The legal age to purchase a knife in the UK is 18.
Cllr Sara Conway, Cabinet Member for Community Safety and Chair of the Safer Communities Partnership, said:
“This prosecution sends a clear message, that we will not hesitate to act swiftly and firmly against any business found to be breaking the law and compromising the safety of our residents.
“This is another good result for our Trading Standards team and their long-running partnership with local police cadets.
“Barnet’s community safety partnership is committed to protecting our communities, and ensuring businesses operate within the law.”
Barnet businesses had been visited previously by the council’s Trading Standards team to advise them in relation to correct storage and sales techniques of knives, and to ensure they had a due diligence defence in place.
Last year, the council introduced a permanent knife surrender bin on Bunns Lane, NW7 and a one-day mobile bin in the borough, as part of a London-wide initiative funded by the Home Office to tackle knife crime. The bins provide a safe and anonymous way for individuals to dispose of knives and other bladed weapons.
If you have concerns about how a business is operating within the borough, please contact: trading.standards@barnet.gov.uk
Alternatively, you can report matters of interest using the London Trading Standards website at: https://www.londontradingstandards.org.uk/report-consumer-crime/.
To safely dispose of knives, they should first be wrapped in several layers of cardboard or paper and secured with sticky tape so that the blade is completely protected and the knife cannot easily be removed. Although it is an offence to have a knife in a public place, it is considered reasonable to carry it directly to a knife surrender bin if it is wrapped in this way.