In a strange case out of England, a man is behind bars for tattooing children with what he said were temporary tattoos, but they turned out to be real. According to the BBC, the judge in the case called it a “staggeringly stupid thing to do.”
In February 2026, a court sentenced Patrick Coe, 31, of Newcastle upon Tyne, to three years in prison and a 10-year restraining order after Coe admitted he used a home tattoo kit to permanently tattoo three children, telling them and their caregivers the designs would fade with soap and water.
According to court testimony, the designs included simple images such as a small heart, a skull, and other small symbols, but they were not temporary as Coe claimed.
According to the court proceedings at Newcastle Crown Court, Coe was described as a friend of the children’s families.
The painful tattoo process
The children, who were too young to consent and were assured by Coe that the tattoos would fade with time, complained of pain during the process. One described the pain as “seven out of ten,” and all three were visibly distressed during and after the procedure.
The children were aged between 7 and 11 at the time of the incident. Coe purchased the tattoo kit from Amazon shortly before it happened. And one of the tattoos was placed on a child’s neck.
In the days following, doctors evaluated the children, giving them preventative antibiotics against hepatitis B and tetanus, a common precaution after needle exposure and skin breakage with non-sterile equipment. One child suffered a minor infection at the tattoo site.
All three victims required additional care beyond the physical. Two of the children developed significant anxiety, distress, and sleep difficulties in the aftermath. Therapists working with the youngsters noted that the experience had left them upset and scared.
Coe found the situation “hilarious”
Initially, when questioned by police after the incident, Coe reportedly said he “didn’t see anything wrong” with what he had done. Coe reportedly “laughed and joked” about the incident first, and “found the whole situation hilarious.”
In court, however, his defense said he has since expressed remorse and now recognizes the seriousness of his actions and the harm they caused to the children.
Coe’s case was heard at Newcastle Crown Court in early 2026. He pleaded guilty to three counts of child cruelty, acknowledging that his actions resulted in harm.
In handing down the sentence, Judge Sarah Mallett said,
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.”
After Coe’s sentencing, Coe’s attorney, Brian Hegarty, noted, “It’s quite staggering and defies belief he could be so foolish. He does now appreciate what he did was incredibly stupid and should not have happened,” according to The Chronicle.
