During an undercover inspection, a 14-year-old boy walked into a newsagent's shop as an undercover agent and successfully bought an e-cigarette without being asked to show identification. The owner, Jin Zou, from Chatswood, pleaded guilty to selling tobacco products to minors when she appeared at Hornsby Local Court.

Court documents show that on December 19 last year, the 14-year-old undercover officer worked with Sydney Public Health to conduct a compliance test at a Gordon Newsagency newsstand.

The court heard that this was the second time Zou Jin had committed such an offence.

Judge Alexander Mijovich said the maximum fine for the offence was $50,000 and it was not Zou's first offence. "Why didn't you learn the lesson of nine years ago when, in 2014, you stood trial for the same crime?"

The court heard that the teenager walked into the store and asked: "What flavours of e-cigarettes do you sell here?"

Zou Jin took out a brown cardboard box and displayed a variety of e-cigarette flavors. The teenager then chose an e-cigarette, which Zou sold to him for $25 without asking him his age or asking for identification.

Zou Jin was immediately confronted by a nearby environmental health official, who argued that she was "too busy" to verify the child's identity.

Court documents also showed that the e-cigarette's packaging clearly stated that the product was intended for use only by people 21 years of age or older, and NSW Health said the e-cigarette sold by Zou Jin contained nicotine. Zou told health officials there were only two e-cigarettes for sale under her counter, but 15 were later found.

At the trial, Ms. Zou told the judge through a Chinese interpreter that she was "willing to accept the punishment," the report said. The court heard that Zou Jin's business had been sluggish during the coronavirus pandemic, even though she had run the store for 15 years.

Judge Mijovich said: "If you are unwilling to understand your obligations, then you need to face the consequences." You chose to sell cigarettes to a 14-year-old boy."

Zou was found guilty and fined $5,000, 10 per cent of the maximum fine.