A furious mother has slammed Home Bargains over the sale of a ‘distasteful’ Halloween prop amid a knife crime epidemic sweeping her city.
Katy Rose, 38, from Staffordshire, was left outraged after spotting ‘blood-splattered’ knives on display next to children’s costumes in her local store.
The mother-of-two, whose children are aged five and seven, believes the £1.99 plastic knives look ‘too lifelike’ to be sold alongside ‘cute’ costumers and accessories aimed at children.
The writer has since hit out over the budget retail chain for selling the prop in ‘bad taste’ while the city – which has not been identified by Katy – is ‘in the midst of a knife crime crisis.’
Staffordshire, in its entirety, has a knife crime rate of 6.5 per 10,000 people, according to Churchill Support Services.
Katy Rose, 38, from Staffordshire, was left outraged after spotting ‘blood-splattered’ knives on display next to children’s costumes in her local Home Bargains store
In the year ending March 2024, Staffordshire Police recorded 744 serious offences including murder, rape, robbery, assault, and sexual assault that involved the use of a knife.
‘I usually really enjoy shopping in Home Bargains and was choosing costumes for my two children when I spotted the knives hanging above broomsticks and witches’ hats,’ Katy said.
‘A life-like knife covered in blood and on display in a city centre store, in an area blighted by knife crime, does not sit well with me as a mother.’
Despite the mother insisting she ‘understands’ that ‘gruesome’ props and make-believe weapons can be purchased in fancy dress shops or online, she also believes they shouldn’t be available on the high street.
As the props are displayed in ‘the eyeline of children,’ the mother also fears that the sale of this type of plastic weapon in a high street sore could ‘glamourise’ knife attacks.
She said: ‘I think selling this type of item amongst kids’ costumes and family-themed decorations just normalises and even glamorises knife attacks.
‘Many charities and organisations are desperately trying to stop kids from carrying weapons.’
Katy added that the sale of plastic knives ‘dripping in blood’ is a ‘very bad error of judgement’ on the retailer’s part.
The mother-of-two, whose children are aged five and seven, believes the £1.99 plastic knives look ‘too lifelike’ to be sold alongside ‘cute’ costumers and accessories aimed at children
The writer has since hit out over the budget retail chain for selling the prop in ‘bad taste’ while the city – which has not been identified by Katy – is ‘in the midst of a knife crime crisis’
The knives can be spotted hanging over witches’ brooms and hats, as well as red pitchforks and Grim Reaper-style scythes
The mother said: ‘I think selling this type of item amongst kids’ costumes and family-themed decorations just normalises and even glamorises knife attacks’
The mother believes it’s ‘inappropriate’ to ‘encourage’ young children and teenagers to walk around the streets during Halloween while carrying a plastic knife
Despite Home Bargains being a go-to for Katy, who often shops there for seasonal items such as autumn wreaths and pumpkin doormats, she has been left disappointed by the retailer
The mother believes it’s ‘inappropriate’ to ‘encourage’ young children and teenagers to walk around the streets during Halloween while carrying a plastic knife.
She explained: ‘I know some people will say you can’t censor Halloween – but I think this is very different from a costume of a ghost, witch or zombie.
‘Those are not real and knife crime is very real, it’s happening on streets across the UK every day.’
Despite Home Bargains being a go-to for Katy, who often shops there for seasonal items such as autumn wreaths and pumpkin doormats, she has been left disappointed by the retailer.
The mother added: ‘The store has made a really poor choice this time.’
A spokesperson for Home Bargains declined to comment, as there was ‘no one available for comment’ at the time of writing.
FEMAIL has reached out for further comment.
It comes after a mother reported that a baby mirror purchased from Home Bargains and placed in her vehicle ‘burnt holes’ and nearly caused a fire in her son’s car seat.
