Patrick Coe, 31, of Grafton House, Byker, Newcastle, has been jailed for three years after admitting three counts of child cruelty. Newcastle Crown Court heard he permanently tattooed three young children, leaving them physically and emotionally damaged.
The children told family members the tattoos were painful and were taken for medical tests. All required hepatitis B and tetanus injections as well as blood tests due to the risk of infection. One victim described the pain as seven out of ten and suffered a minor infection, swelling and pain, with aftercare amounting to a baby wipe.
Judge Sarah Mallett told Coe: "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. This was a staggeringly stupid and foolish thing to do and also a very harmful thing to do."
The court heard Coe laughed and joked about the incident and saw nothing wrong with his actions. One victim was left anxious and required therapy, another said they hated the tattoo and were likely to need therapy, while a third suffered sleeping problems and felt upset and scared.
Brian Hegarty, defending, said Coe did not intend to cause pain and is remorseful, adding: "He does now appreciate what he did was incredibly stupid and should not have happened." Coe was also given a ten-year restraining order.
