Shops caught selling games to minors

Three high street stores have been caught selling 18-rated video games to youngsters, according to Which? magazine.

The consumer publication organised an undercover investigation, sending a 15-year-old girl to buy 18-rated games depicting sex and violence.

Woolworths, Game and Maplin all allowed the teenager to buy the adult games, while Tesco, Argos, Debenhams, HMV, Currys Digital and a local store refused.

Woolworths sold the youngster GTA: Vice City Stories, while Game sold Condemned 2. Maplin handed over Hitman, even though the girl told the store assistant that she was 15.

In a week when Boris Johnson voiced concerns over violent video games, condemnation of the stores' willingness to sell adult games to youngsters has been slammed by trading standards.

Ash Shah, assistant head of Brent and Harrow Council trading standards, told MCV: "Staff should realise that they have a moral and legal duty to stop these sales from taking place.

"There is a mixed but growing body of evidence that very violent games like this can sometimes influence underage players, with reports of anti-social behaviour linked to them [and] in extreme cases even fatalities."

Under current legislation, the maximum penalty for selling adult games to underage consumers is £5,000 and/or six months in prison.