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| Asda 'mental patient' costume withdrawn from sale online | Asda 'mental patient' costume withdrawn from sale online |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Supermarket chain Asda has apologised and withdrawn a Halloween outfit it was selling online as a "mental patient fancy dress costume", after criticism. | |
| The £20 item included clothing, fake blood, a mask and a fake meat cleaver. | |
| Following criticism, including from one "stunned" mental health charity, the store offered "sincere apologies for the offence it has caused". | |
| It would be making a "very sizeable donation" to mental health charity Mind, Asda added. | |
| In a statement, Asda, which is owned by US retail giant Walmart, said the sale had been a "completely unacceptable error". | |
| "[The costume] should never have been sold and it was withdrawn as soon as it was brought to our attention." | |
| Asda added: "We're deeply sorry one of our fancy dress costumes has upset people." | |
| It is understood the costume had been on sale through Asda's clothing outlet George for two days, before being withdrawn from sale on Wednesday morning after being spotted internally. | It is understood the costume had been on sale through Asda's clothing outlet George for two days, before being withdrawn from sale on Wednesday morning after being spotted internally. |
| Asda said the product had been removed from the website in the afternoon but the relevant page remained visible for a few hours. | |
| It disappeared after the criticism on Twitter started to emerge. | |
| 'Frightened of stigma' | |
| Katie Dalton, of Welsh mental health charity Gofal, wrote on Twitter: "Dear @asda, how on earth did you come to the conclusion that this is an appropriate fancy dress costume? Disgraceful." | Katie Dalton, of Welsh mental health charity Gofal, wrote on Twitter: "Dear @asda, how on earth did you come to the conclusion that this is an appropriate fancy dress costume? Disgraceful." |
| And former Downing Street director of communications, Alastair Campbell, who has written about his experiences with mental health issues, tweeted: "Look what Asda's selling... what possesses these people?" | And former Downing Street director of communications, Alastair Campbell, who has written about his experiences with mental health issues, tweeted: "Look what Asda's selling... what possesses these people?" |
| Former footballer Stan Collymore, who has had a well-documented battle with depression, also criticised Asda for using a "stereotype". | |
| "Do you actually realise how many people are hanging themselves because of being frightened of the stigma?" he tweeted. | |
| The charity Rethink Mental Illness also took to Twitter to say it was "stunned" by the costume's description, but later thanked Asda "for responding" to the "concerns". | |
| The internet link to the website page where the costume was being sold used the words "zombie fancy dress costume". | |
| But the product was titled "mental patient fancy dress costume" on the page itself. | But the product was titled "mental patient fancy dress costume" on the page itself. |
| The product details read: "Everyone will be running away from you in fear in this mental patient fancy dress costume.... it's a terrifying Halloween option." |