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
Found in my dads room, really hoping its not a inappropriate thing
Some people enjoy exploring antiquated shops, while others stumble upon hidden treasures in their basements. However, they share a common experience—they encounter peculiar items and initially struggle to discern their purpose. Fortunately, the internet abounds with experts ready and willing to assist in unraveling these enigmas.
1. “Found in a kitchen drawer. Stiff, but still bends a little.”
Answer: “It goes through a hole at the end of measuring spoon sets to keep them together.”
2. “Received a random Amazon parcel addressed to me that I didn’t order, what is this thing?”
Answer: “It looks like a gripper to hold fish by the mouth without harming them.”
3. “Found in my dad’s room.”
Answer: “It goes over shoes to give a grip on ice.”
4. “What is this stabby thing on wheels that arrived in the mail by mistake from Jamaica, NY?”
Answer: “It’s for weeding cracks and crevices.”
5. “A co-worker collects mystery objects and can’t identify this.”
Answer: “It’s a spark tester for a small engine.”
6. “Found this rubber thing on my stoop.”
Answer: “Water bottle holder.”
7. “Dinner table conversation… What do you think it is?”
Answer: “Lemon juicer.”
8. “Why is this toilet bowl shaped this way?”
Answer: “To hold a bedpan to collect specimens.”
9. “Colorful, plastic objects found at a thrift store. What is it?”
Answer: “Possibly pieces to a children’s play set of some sort.”
10. “What is this? A small bakelite toilet container with a spoon.”
Answer: “Could be a little salt well or ‘salt cellar’ or ‘salt pig’. They have spoons about this size and the bowl of this is pretty small.”
11. “Got this for free as a giveaway at a convention… I have no idea what it could be.”
Answer: “It’s a portable trash bag/dog poo bag holder.”
12. “Kids got these for Halloween. They are thin plastic, and say OM 5/22 made in China on the back.”
Answer: “They are stencils, popular in the 90s.”
13. “Golden-coloured opaque glass object about 25cm tall. Weights about 40g.”
Answer: “It’s a decor item.”
14. “Found this at a garage sale…”
Answer: “For opening a soft-boiled egg.”
15. “Metallic rocket-shaped object. Has three fins, & the end of a screw is sticking out of the base.”
Answer: “Salt and pepper shakers.”
Do you have an appreciation for the unconventional? Take a look at these items that may appear peculiar at first glance but, in reality, serve entirely distinctive purposes.
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