Police officers have determined a small piece of finger bone discovered inside a pair of Primark socks last year is not connected to a crime.
The socks in question were purchased in a branch in Colchester on December 10, 2018, with the bone having been reported to Essex Police on January 2.
The bone – which is thought to have come from a part of the finger known as a phalanx – has not been linked to any criminal act at this time, following a police investigation into the matter.
The inquiry has now been closed, with Essex Police said to have investigated the case as far as was ‘reasonably and proportionately possible’.
As reported by The Guardian, a police spokesperson has since made the following statement:
At this time it is not linked to a criminal act. It is a possibility it was placed in the sock in its country of origin, but this cannot be confirmed. It did not appear to be a result of recent trauma and had no skin or other particles surrounding it.
If any more information should come to light, the case will reportedly be reviewed by officers.
At the time the bone was discovered, Primark took the matter ‘very seriously’ and conducted an investigation at its supplier’s factory where the socks in question were manufactured.
Primark has made the following statement, as per The Guardian:
It is highly probable that the object was placed in the socks by an individual for unknown reasons. Primark has been the subject of isolated incidents in the past, which have subsequently been found to have been hoaxes.
Following our own and the police investigation, we consider the matter closed.
The fast fashion retailer has also apologised ‘for any distress caused’ to the customer who found the bone.
This isn’t the first time a customer has discovered a disturbing item hidden with a piece of Primark clothing.
In 2014, a shopper from Belfast claimed to have found a ‘cry for help’ note tucked inside a pair of trousers, which made horrifying allegations of slave labour conditions in a Chinese prison.
As reported by BBC News at the time, the writer of the note claimed inmates had been forced to work ‘like oxen’ and made to live off food that would be considered unfit for animals.
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Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.