A SCHOOLBOY brandishes a potentially lethal knife — which came attached to a JACKET on sale at chain store T.K. Maxx.

Any teenager who bought one of the trendy hooded coats would be instantly “tooled up” with a 2½in blade.


Astonishingly, T.K. Maxx sold the Swiss-made jackets a year after one of its shop girls, Rina Panchal, 26, was stabbed to death at work.

Shopper Steve Gale, 36, alerted The Sun after spotting the garments at his local branch of the budget chain.

Crime

The shocked dad of two said last night: “It’s scandalous, with all the attacks involving knives, that a big national store is selling them as part of clothing.”

And Joan Holland, whose son Andrew, 16, was killed with a knife last year, said: “It’s horrendous. They’re promoting knife crime.”


The Strellson jacket normally sells for £200 but was reduced to £59 at T.K. Maxx. It has a chain attached to the lining with a knife on the end. The chain leads to an inside pocket, where the blade is concealed.


Steve discovered the knife while looking for a coat at T.K. Maxx in Farnborough, Hants.


He said: “I pulled the chain and out came this knife. I couldn’t believe it. It was actually part of the coat. Imagine how you would feel if you bought that for your kid.

“I was on my way to football and needed a coat — but if I had bought this I would have been nicked trying to get in.



Hidden ... blade tucks into coat's inside pocket


“I asked an assistant if it was acceptable and she said it was probably a camping coat.”

Carpet cleaning specialist Steve added: “What has it come to when clothes become weapons? It’s just encouraging kids to go out with a knife.”


A T.K. Maxx assistant who did not wish to be named admitted: “With all the knife attacks, it is pretty stupid to have these on the shelves.”


It is illegal to market a blade in a way likely to encourage violence or to sell knives to under-18s. Hampshire Police said they would give “appropriate advice” to the store.

But grieving Joan Holland said the firm deserved a fine.


Joan, 44, of Farnworth, near Bolton, Greater Manchester, added: “It’s sending the wrong message. The police say, ‘Don’t carry knives’ — but T.K. Maxx sells them with a jacket.


“Someone could get hurt. I hope whoever came up with that idea gets a big fine.”


England and Wales had 258 knife killings in 2006/07.

William Alikori, 31, hanged himself in jail after knifing Rina Panchal 11 times at her T.K. Maxx store in Thurmaston, Leics, in January last year.

The firm, which has 180 UK branches, cleared knife jackets from its shelves after being contacted by the Sun.


It said: “T.K. Maxx supports and enforces all laws with regard to the sale of knives. We became aware that a branded coat on sale included a pocket penknife as a promotional gift.


“We removed the items swiftly from the supply chain. All store teams have been alerted to this and as a matter of urgent priority have removed all related items from shops.”

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