A landlord was fined £3,000 after six youths under 18 bought alcohol at his venue.

Jonathan Turpin, owner of the Moloko Bar in The Square, Winchester, was found guilty at Basingstoke Magistrates Court.

He plans to appeal and to sue Winchester City Council. He is upset because magistrates deemed a bouncer that he hired was insufficiently trained, despite being licensed by the authority.

Mr Turpin (34), of Highfield House, Broughton, who opened the Moloko Bar in 2000, was there on November 7th last year when police staged a raid. Officers found six people under 18 in the 250-capacity venue who had bought alcohol, Basingstoke Magistrates heard last month.

When the case resumed on Monday, Mr Turpin said they probably used false ID. He added that he tried his best to keep minors out. He said the bar often employed four or more doormen every night, more than legally required.

A few months before the raid, the bar switched from having its own door staff to hiring from the Big Security Company, said Mr Turpin, adding that the city council encouraged the move, as Big Security staff carried badges from the authority to prove they were qualified.

The switch increased Moloko's annual security budget by around 25% to over £50,000, said Mr Turpin. One bouncer supplied by Big Security was Alex Blake-Pink, who was on duty on November 7th. He told the court he was not fully qualified at the time, only holding a provisional council badge.

Mr Turpin had earlier praised Mr Blake-Pink (20), saying he was a good doorman. However, the magistrates decided Mr Turpin did not do enough to warn Mr Blake-Pink about under-age drinkers.

John Stainton, chairing the bench, added: "The doorman was not trained and was only provisionally qualified and had little experience."

Mr Turpin was found guilty of selling alcohol to under-18s and fined £3,000, with £225 costs. He was acquitted on a further six charges of knowingly selling alcohol to under-18s.

A second man, David Heath (58), of St Anne Street, Salisbury, was also facing six counts of knowingly selling alcohol to under-18s. He told the court that he was a management consultant and had nothing to do with selling drinks. The bench found him not guilty on all charges.

Outside the court, Mr Turpin said he felt let down and was planning legal action. "I'd question why the city council is giving people a badge if they haven't passed an exam."

A council spokesman responded by saying Mr Blake-Pink was adequately trained at the time of the raid. He added that, in June this year, licensing of bouncers passed from their control to the Government-backed Security Industry Authority.

The spokesman denied that the council pressured Mr Turpin into switching to Big Security. "What door staff are used is a matter for the owner and brewery," he added.

* Police will lobby Andover Magistrates on November 3rd to withdraw the licence of Moloko in Winchester. Officers are going ahead, despite Mr Turpin standing down as licensee earlier this year.

Two days later, Winchester City Council are due to decide whether to strip Moloko of its public entertainment licence, which allows alcohol sales after 11pm.