Ann-Marie Bennett bought two stationery sets as presents for her two children before they went back to school in January – but was left horrified when she discovered the hidden blades inside
A mum was shocked to find a concealed knife inside a pencil case designed for teens from the popular shopping website Shein.
Ann-Marie Bennett bought two stationery sets as presents for her two children before they went back to school in January. The school office worker paid £5 for both pencil cases, which contained various pens, a pencil sharpener and a rubber. But when the parcel arrived, she was shocked to find a plastic flower that features a sliding switch to reveal a retractable hidden one-inch blade hidden inside.
Shein’s website describes the blade as “sharp” and “easy to carry”, claiming it is “ideal for teenagers”, but also states they are safe for use by children over the age of three. Mum-of two Ann-Marie, who lives in Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, immediately seized the pencil case from her eight-year-old daughter Alice’s school bag, who had packed the item ready for class.
She also feared her five-year-old daughter Abbie might play with the knife and seriously injured herself. The 35-year-old mum said she felt so concerned by the risk posed to other children that she reported it to Trading Standards. and now Walsall Council’s Trading Standards, who branded the item ‘unacceptable’ for children, confirmed they are investigating.
Ann-Marie said: “I was doing a big shop on Shein. The kids love pens and pencils and it was marketed at ages three to six. I was putting away all their stuff trying to make room and I thought what is this? The sharpener looks just like a nice little flower but has a knife in it. I was so shocked, my heart was racing. My youngest is only five and she could’ve really hurt herself.
“It’s really sharp, it’s a proper blade. My other daughter had the same set in purple and the blade in her pencil case ready to take to school. If they’d taken it to school, that would’ve been horrific. You just don’t expect a pencil sharpener to be a blade. If my five-year-old had played with it, she would’ve done some real damage.”
Ann-Marie believes the item should be removed from Shein’s website before a serious injury occurs, though it has been listed as “sold out” for more than a week. The item is listed as a seven-piece stationery set containing a ‘cartoon cute’ ballpoint pen, gel pen, pencil, eraser and mini pencil sharpener.
However images that only appear on the listing when scrolling show the knife. Ann-Marie said: “I just presumed it would be a normal pencil sharpener – not a knife. It should be clearer that it contains this. And it shouldn’t be marketed towards three to six-year-olds. They should be taken off the website before an injury happens. They’re really sharp. It frightened me. I just want to tell other parents to be careful what you’re buying.”
A UK Trading Standards spokeswoman said: “It’s unacceptable that an item like this is being sold for children, the safety of our residents is our priority so we will investigate the matter accordingly.” After Shein were told about the blade on Wednesday, the item remained featured on their website and the brand declined to comment as the customer hadn’t reported it to them.