Police claim owner of Amanda off-licence in Osmaston Road, Allenton, was drunk

A SHOPKEEPER, who police believe was drunk while in charge of his store, will face a hearing today to decide if he can keep his licence to sell alcohol at the premises.

In a statement, Chief Superintendent Jagdev Atwal said an officer found Intars Cervinskis, the owner of Inchstoresuk Amanda, so drunk he couldn't stand up.

The store, in Osmaston Road, Allenton, has been open since August last year and has a licence to sell booze between 8am and 11pm, Sunday to Thursday, and 9am to 11pm, Friday and Saturday.

Mr Cervinskis said yesterday he had not been drinking and his behaviour was down to medication taken for pain in his knee.

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Ch Supt Atwal has applied for a review of the shopkeeper's licence to sell alcohol, which will be dealt with by the city council's general licensing sub committee today.

Ch Supt Atwal's statement for the meeting says Mr Cervinskis was found apparently drunk on Monday, December 3. Sergeant Mark Lomas had gone to his shop to conduct a licensing inspection.

The statement says: "Sergeant Lomas noticed Mr Cervinskis appeared to be under the influence of intoxicating liquor and, upon speaking to him further and from the officer's observations and Cervinskis's behaviour, declared him to be drunk.

"Upon Cervinskis being confronted with the fact, Cervinskis admitted to having consumed five beers the previous evening and one since he had opened at 9am.

"Cervinskis then lost his balance and fell to the side of the counter where he had been propping himself up and it was noticed there were two empty bottles of beer behind the counter and a bottle of liqueur, secreted on the shelf behind the counter, of which a third had been consumed."

Ch Supt Atwal's statement says Mr Cervinskis's wife had then attended the shop and agreed to close it due to "the state of her husband".

It says there is an ongoing criminal investigation connected with the incident.

Sgt Lomas' statement for the meeting says Mr Cervinskis "was drunk".

It says: "His eyes were glazed, his pupils were dilated, although sweating profusely he had a flushed complexion, was mumbling incoherently at times and was unsteady on his feet."

The statement says Mr Cerinskis's wife was "obviously upset" at the situation and she "stated he had been drinking the previous evening and had not opened the shop until 10.30am".

The committee can modify the licence conditions, suspend the license, or revoke it.

Mr Cervinskis said he had not been drinking. He said: "I was using strong medicine for pain in my knee after an operation in 2009. I take Tramadol and codeine. I also take medicine for a stress-related heart condition. The medicine had made me drowsy."

Asked if he could guarantee the medicine wouldn't cause the same problems in the future, he said he could not.

He said: "I've been told the pain in my knee might be there for the rest of my life."