SICK! EXCLUSIVE Toy doll of wrestler who murdered his family sold in Midlands.

Byline: BY BEN GOLDBY

A MIDLAND store was condemned last night for selling a toy doll of a US wrestler who brutally murdered his family.

WWE star Chris Benoit, 40, killed his wife and disabled son before taking his own life after a steroid binge last June.

But Forbidden Planet, based in Birmingham city centre, has sparked fury by offering action figures of the former World Heavyweight Champion.

The pounds 5.99 plastic toy doll can even do his trademark Crippler Crossface move - which the psycho sportsman used to kill his seven year-old child.

Last night Helena Hayward, from Family and Youth Concern, said: "This is sick. I'm lost for words that Forbidden Planet would even consider selling an item of this kind.

"There is an utter lack of respect for the victims of the crime, without even considering that this doll might be bought by children.

"Producers and vendors of these items should be ashamed of the depths to which they have sunk. They need to look at their consciences."

The store has refused to comment, but a WWE spokesman apologised and said it wanted all Benoit products removed from sale.

Police discovered the bodies of the famous grappler and his family on June 24 at their home in Fayetteville, Georgia.

Investigators believe Benoit suffocated Daniel with his famous finishing hold the morning after strangling his wife Nancy, 43.

The millionaire wrestler, known to fight fans as the Rabid Wolverine, then hung himself using the cable from one of his weightlifting machines.

Cops were initially confused by bruising on Daniel, but discovered the sickening method of murder after watching a wrestling tape of the WWE star.

The Crippler Crossface involved Benoit placing the arm of a floored opponent between his legs, locking his hands around their face and pulling back to stretch their neck. Along with the corpses, US cops found a huge stash of body-building steroids, as well as bibles placed next to the bodies.

WWE at first screened a threehour tribute show to Benoit, but when the murder details emerged his name and image were pulled from their broadcasts.

The manageress of the Birmingham store last night refused to comment on the decision to stock the wrestling action figures.

But it is believed they were removed from shelves in the wake of the brutal murders - and were mistakenly put out again over Christmas. A WWE spokesman said: "We made every effort with our licensing partners to ensure that there was no further production or development of Chris Benoit products in the wake of what took place.

"In the case of Forbidden Planet, they are a specialist retailer and there has obviously been a problem.

"We can only apologise for any offence caused."

Last April, we revealed that the same branch of Forbidden Planet was stocking dolls based on a twisted sex offender from Hollywood film Grindhouse.

The toy was named Rapist Number One - leading campaigners to accuse the shop of trivialising sex crimes.

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CAPTION(S):

KILLER: WWE star Chris Benoit murdered his wife and son; SHAME: the wrestling doll which is on sale in Birmingham