A young man from New Zealand named Mark Cropp, serving a two-year, three-month sentence for a failed drug sale, made a decision that night that would change his entire life.
He and his brother decided to tattoo Mark’s face while they were very drunk from making their own alcohol from fermented apples, bread, and sugar. They created the ink by melting toy knives and forks and toothpaste.
Sadly, Mark’s entire face—including his jaw and lower face—was covered in tattoos of the phrase “Devast8” by the time the night came to a close.
His life after being freed from prison was negatively impacted by this foolish choice. He was eager to start anew and committed to finding work so that he could support his wife and daughter. Along with wanting to move on from his previous way of life and become a respected member of society, he found that this was much harder than he had imagined.
Mark had a lot of work experience, but no one was interested in hiring him because of his large facial tattoo instead of his criminal history.
Credit: Getty/South_agency
This despondent man revealed the backstory of his tattoo in an interview with Daily Mail Australia.
You are aware that for a considerable amount of time, I would ruin anything I came into contact with. I would destroy everyone I came in contact with or came close to,” he declared.
“They would always say, ‘That’s awful,’ when I did or said something that disappointed them. After I started it, I realized I couldn’t stop now. To be really honest, I wish I had stopped when the outline was still there. Before I knew it, I looked like this. Like a crimson pumpkin, it was swelled,” he continued.
Willing to go to any lengths to remove the horrible “art” from his face, he looked for professionals who could assist him in doing so, but nobody was willing to help. Mark chose to turn to social media users since laser removal was simply too pricey for him to even consider.
Mark posted a picture of his tattoo on Facebook, pleading for a job and the opportunity to start anew.
The amount of attention his post received demonstrated the Internet’s power.
His request quickly gained traction after being reposted several times, drawing the attention of the workers of the tattoo studio Sacred Tattoo in Auckland.
Fortunately, they offered to take off his tattoo for free, demonstrating their generosity once more as they are well-known for being community-focused individuals.
After having his tattoos removed, Mark was able to secure a position with PR Contracting, a scaffolding company, where he was paid $22 per hour.
We are glad that this father and spouse were able to start over.
