A teenage father with ‘DEVAST8’ tattooed across his face is ‘waiting for the right job offer’ after his desperate plea for work went viral – and he has revealed he will be getting the jailhouse ink lasered off.
Mark Cropp, 19, from New Zealand, took to social media on Wednesday afternoon to beg someone to look past his criminal convictions and heavily-tattooed face and give him a chance at work.
Within hours he had been inundated with job offers and said he had ‘stopped counting when he reached 45’.
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Mark ‘Devast8’ Cropp (pictured) has revealed that he has turned down 45 job offers since his story went viral
The 19-year-old (pictured) had taken to social media in frustration that his face tattoos were preventing him from finding work
But he told Daily Mail Australia he still hadn’t ‘done a day’s work’.
‘I am just waiting for the right one to come about,’ he said.
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Some of the jobs required him to have his own car – he clarified – but he will need help getting to the work site.
‘Until I get my first paycheck and get a car I won’t be able to get myself around,’ he said.
The former criminal revealed he will be getting the artwork – designed by his brother after a night of drinking home brew in jail – removed as soon as possible.
‘A week before I got out I taped a picture of my face to the inside of an envelope so my partner could see it – she was devastated – but now she likes it and can’t see me without it,’ Cropp (pictured, right) said
Man with DEVAST8 tattoo speaks about trying to get a job
‘I am just working out a date to get it taken off – which sucks because it is going to hurt,’ he said.
‘And because, you know, this tattoo means something to me and my brother did it for me so it is hard to make the decision to get rid of it.
‘But I know it is the best thing for my future – and I want to be a person my family can look to for support.’
The artwork was designed to make him ‘look tough’ when he landed in jail following a long string of violent behaviour.
This image shows Cropp (pictured) before the face tattoo which made him go viral on social media
‘And because, you know, this tattoo means something to me and my brother did it for me so it is hard to make the decision to get rid of it,’ he said
Mark and girlfriend Taneia Ruki got together a year before he was sent to prison
It was meant to be a ‘little one along the jawline,’ but the pair got carried away after drinking home brew made from fermented apples, sugar and bread.
‘I went into jail with four tattoos and I came out with a full body suit,’ he said.
But the face tattoo was the biggest shock to his family.
‘A week before I got out I taped a picture of my face to the inside of an envelope so my partner could see it – she was devastated – but now she likes it and can’t see me without it.’
DEVAST8 happens to be the 19-year-old’s nickname.
Mark Cropp (pictured) told Daily Mail Australia he is still waiting for the right job to come along
Cropp (pictured) says the face tattoo was supposed to be small but he and his brother got carried away after drinking homebrew
‘I was going through a rough patch’: Teen with DEVAST8 jail tattoo
‘I would end up devastating everyone I met or got close to.
‘They would be disappointed with something I had done or said – I was always hearing “that’s devastating”,’ he said.
But he hopes the devastating chapters of his life are over – erased along with the ink on his face.
‘I have learnt from my mistake,’ he said.
‘I still don’t think people should be judged by the tattoos on their face – but I know it will keep happening unless I do something about it.’
Before his final desperate plea on Facebook the teenager said people had ‘laughed in (his) face’ when he had asked for work.
The tattoo was drawn with a homemade gun which used a needle made from the spring of a pen and powered by a cassette player.
Plastic knives and forks are burnt to a black plastic powder and mixed with toothpaste and water to create the ink.
The teenager has been out of jail for two weeks.
Mark has also been offered laser therapy to remove the tattoo and will have his first session on Tuesday (pictured right with partner)
The New Zealander (pictured) has been out of jail for two weeks and says he has learnt from his mistake
At 65, Madonna praised as the “most beautiful” woman in the world after sharing sultry photos
It’s difficult to believe that Madonna is now 65 years old. It feels like only yesterday that the Queen of Pop burst onto the scene, and ever since she’s been entertaining millions of people the world over every year.
At present, Madonna is on her much-anticipated Celebration Tour, having recovered from the nasty bacterial infection that left her hospitalized earlier this year.
Recent snaps of the Like a Virgin singer were met with widespread praise among her legion of fans, as the 65-year-old continues to prove that age is just a number… and that she’s far from done with regards to being a prominent force in the music industry.
Fans were right to be concerned earlier this year in summer, when Madonna was suddenly hospitalized.
Initial reports were worrying enough, but it soon became apparent that her health scare was even more grave than first thought.
The Queen of Pop had been set to embark on her highly anticipated Celebration Tour in Vancouver on July 15 – which would have seen her perform her best hits from 1983 to now in 53 shows across North America and Europe – but was forced to postpone it after she was rushed to hospital with a bacterial infection.
Initial reports revealed Madonna had been found unresponsive on Saturday, June 24, and was subsequently to a New York City hospital where she was intubated.
Not long after, a relative of the Grammy winning artist told Entertainment Tonight that her family had been “preparing for the worst” after the news first broke. “For the past couple of days, no one really knew which direction this was going to turn, and her family was preparing for the worst,” they said.
“That is why it was kept a secret since Saturday,” they added. “Everyone believed that we may lose her, and that has been the reality of the situation.”
Radar Online, meanwhile, revealed that Madonna’s stint in hospital was more severe than initially thought – medics who treated the unresponsive star at her apartment were reportedly forced to administer a NARCAN injection.
Fortunately, the singer was eventually released from hospital and could continue her recovery at home. Her aforementioned Celebration Tour is now in full swing, with the Vogue star gaining widespread praise for her looks after uploading a series of photos from her tour.
According to reports, the Paris, France leg of Madonna’s tour attracted particular attention, with fans showering her with compliments. One even dubbed her “the most beautiful woman in the world.”
One person wrote on Twitter: “How is this woman sixty five years old? Please share your secrets with us and your filter. QUEEN ??“
Another wrote: “You look like a woman of 35 years old”
A third added: “THE most famous woman ever in front of a lens. Still the most exotic, most beguiling thing I’ve ever seen ❤️?“
Famous fashion designer Donatella Versace, meanwhile, praised her long time friend as being “the most beautiful”.
What do you think? Do you agree that Madonna looks astonishingly good for her age? Let us know!
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