A 17-YEAR-OLD Erowal Bay youth, who pleaded guilty to tattooing four children, all aged 14, appeared in Nowra Children’s Court on Thursday.
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The teenager had previously pleaded guilty to four counts of doing body art, a tattooing procedure for a fee without a licence, two counts of conducting a body art, tattooing business without an operation licence and four counts of tattooing a child/young person without parents’ consent.
The youth was charged under the Tattoo Parlours Act 2012 and the Children’s and Young Persons (care protection) Act 1998.
Evidence before the court stated the youth performed tattoos on two girls and two boys in a granny flat at his home on August 31 and June 6 this year.
The court heard the teenager had placed tattoos on the children’s upper thighs, depicting names, as well as the statement “Best buds stay together” and “Best buds” and a cannabis leaf.
The tattoos ranged in size from four centimetres x two centimetres, up to 15cm x 10cm, for which he allegedly charged $10 and $15.
Parents of the victims were extremely upset when they discovered the tattoos and contacted police.
Three of the youngsters said they had regretted getting the tattoos and did not like the way they looked, while another said “his mother would be upset because he was too young to have a tattoo”.
Police attended the teenager’s home, and found tattooing paraphernalia, including needles, a tattooing gun packaging and ink and paper with the tattoo designs in a bin.
Magistrate Graham Blewitt adjoined the matter until February 2.