A Primark shopper claims he found a very disturbing letter hidden in a pair of the brand's socks.
Shahkiel Akbar discovered a hand-written note crying out for help, claiming to be from a Chinese torture victim.
The call centre worker bought a pair of black men's socks from Primark's Newcastle Metrocentre branch, but didn't find the letter until a couple of weeks later.
"I knew it was something sinister when I saw it. I was really shocked. I do feel responsible now I have found this," he told Chronicle Live.
The 25-year-old used an app on his iPhone to translate the message.
"It was an SOS from a 39-year-old man living in China," he said.
"From the words I could translate you could see he was distressed. It seemed like he was risking a lot to try and get a message out.
"He said he had endured physical and psychological abuse and that he was forced to make these socks."
The Metro reported that this is the second letter found in a pair of Primark socks this month.
But a spokesperson for Primark told HuffPost UK Style that the letter is just a hoax.
"The Primark name is being used to gain publicity for the plight of this individual. We have found no link at all between this individual and any of our suppliers’ factories in China.
"We think it is likely that the note was added after production and it is feasible it was added in transit or at a port.”
