IT was a drunken stabbing that killed a Southampton teenager and shocked his local community. Daniel Loader was stabbed in the back outside the Premier Aldermoor shop, in Coxford, after being attacked with a blade by then 16-year-old Damien Kershaw.

It was revealed after 17-year-old Daniel’s death in 2006 that Kershaw, who was later convicted of his manslaughter, was drunk at the time and was part of a gang that had been stealing alcohol from a nearby Co-op, which has since closed.

Despite the role that alcohol played in his death, Daniel’s family have today given their backing to Premier Aldermoor’s bid to sell booze.

As reported in the Daily Echo, the Aldermoor Road store, which was taken over by Balkar Singh Pottiwal a year ago, was denied an alcohol licence by council chiefs last November.

They claimed it would create “the perfect storm” for crime and disorder in the area.

But months later, a new Tesco Express store, just 200 yards away on the former site of The Woodman pub, has been granted permission to stock beers, wines and spirits.

Daniel’s mum, Charlie Loader, 50, labelled the decision “diabolical.”

“I support this shop 100 per cent,” she said.

“What is the difference between walking over the road to Tesco to get alcohol and having it sold here?

“It makes no sense whatsoever. It’s a diabolical decision.”

Daniel’s older brother, Michael, 24, added: “It seems that people are using what happened to Daniel as an excuse.

“We get annoyed as a family that people point to what happened that day and use it as a reason not to give Premier the licence.”

Mr Pottiwal said he was “frustrated” at the decision and claimed there were “blatant inconsistencies” from the police, who withdrew their objections to the application from Tesco. The area’s city councillor, Don Thomas, who is also a member of the licensing panel, said: “The police put the case forward that these shops are in two different locations.

“They said the parade of shops in Aldermoor Road is renowned for troublemakers and that wasn’t necessarily the case where Tesco is.

“The members of the panel will always have a very difficult job to reject an application if the police have got no objections.”

When asked for a comment Hampshire police did not respond.