Man wins £1,000 payout after cheap shower gel 'burned his testicles'

A carpet cleaner was left screaming in agony after using a 99p Stores shower gel that he claims burned his testicles. Raymond Cuss, 42, says the herbal-scented suds stripped off a layer of skin and left his privates glowing bright red. The pain was so excruciating it even caused him to grimace and bend over whenever his underwear simply brushed the affected area. The self-employed trader, who feared he would be scarred for life and was left depressed, has now received £1,000 in an out-of-court settlement.

The retailer believes the chemicals in the gel may have reacted with others used by Mr Cuss for his work. A doctor instructed Mr Cuss to soothe the inflamed skin by applying a moisturiser twice a day for a month, but he has since recovered with no lasting physical damage. Mr Cuss bought the Dettol-branded gel from the High Street branch of 99p Stores in his home town of Gosport, Hampshire. "It was the first time I had bought this particular shower gel, and chose it because it had the Dettol brand on the front, which I trusted," he said. "I had a shower to freshen up when I got home from work and suffered an horrendous reaction.



"When I stepped out of the shower and looked down at my groin I could see I had been burned." He said the area was inflamed and glowing bright red, and he had lost a layer of skin. "I was horrified and scared I may have suffered permanent damage," he said. "As the area dried, I was left in incredible pain, with a burning sensation. I had trouble sleeping, and could not lie on my front because it was far too painful. I had tears in my eyes when pulling on my boxer shorts, and if any material simply brushed the area I almost doubled over in pain. I grimaced with every move."

He added: "Because I'm self employed I had to go to work and battle through the pain, which was a real struggle. The whole incident left me feeling depressed because I feared my ordeal would never end." He said he didn't know what he would do with the £1,000 compensation, "but I certainly wont be spending it on shower gel in 99p Stores". Mr Cuss entered a lengthy legal battle with 99p Stores - which has not admitted liability - after instructing lawyers to act on his behalf. A spokesman for Reckitt Benckiser,the makers of Dettol, said: "A review of the product packaging identified it as most likely a product originally made for the Korean market and imported as a grey market product."