Were you one of those kids who played around with temporary tattoos because you thought they were cool? Temporary tattoos are something that can be really fun to experiment with when you’re young because they can feel like another creative outlet that still allows you to easily change your mind and rub them off when you’re done. Permanent tattoos are a whole different story, though. A man from England was recently sentenced to three years in prison after he permanently tattooed three young kids who believed he was only giving them temporary tattoos. The children were left scared, in pain, and sent to the hospital after the tattooing.
A 31-one-year-old man named Patrick Coe from Newcastle, England, has admitted to three counts of child cruelty after he tattooed the kids, per the BBC. The man said he believed he was only “temporarily tattooing them,” People reported.
According to The Chronicle, a Newcastle Crown Court heard that the three kids reported to family members that the tattoos “were painful,” and they all had to be taken for medical tests, given tetanus shots, and had blood work done to ensure they hadn’t contracted hepatitis B.
When confronted with what he had done, Coe admitted that it was true and that he “didn’t see anything wrong with it,” per The Chronicle. The court also heard that the 31-year-old “laughed and joked” about the tattooing incident and “found the whole situation hilarious.”
The children who had been permanently tattooed by Coe were left in various distressed states, both physically and emotionally. One of the kids was left “anxious” and “struggled to come to terms with what happened” resulting in “receiving therapy,” per The Chronicle.
Another one of the victims said they “hate” the tattoo and that the multiple injections and blood tests caused “significant anxiety and distress,” which will likely result in them requiring therapy, per the news outlet. A third child was left “upset and scared,” has sleep problems, feels anxious after the medical treatments, and needs therapy.
Judge Sarah Mallett told Coe that “The children didn’t choose to have a permanent tattoo. They were put at risk by you giving them tattoos. They are visibly marked with a permanent reminder of you and this,” The Chronicle reported. The judge went on to call this act “staggeringly stupid” and a “very harmful thing to do,” per the news outlet.
We hope that the children involved in this thoughtless act receive the love and care they deserve and are on their way to true healing.
If you suspect child abuse, you can call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-422-4453 (1-800-4-A-Child) or go to Childhelp.org. The hotline is available 24/7.
