Woman ‘forced’ to get abusive companion’s title tattooed 250 instances over her face and physique
The man’s name, initials and possessive phrases like “property of” were all etched onto the woman’s skin, pictures show, and she has since undergone a series of painful tattoo removals
Joke, 52, was inked by her abusive ex(Image: Jam Press/Stichting Spijt van Tattoo)
A traumatised woman has told of her horror after an abusive ex allegedly tattooed his name all over her body250 faces – including inking her face. Joke, 52, says her ex Hans used a cheap machine bought online to mark her with chilling phrases like “property of”.
Around 90% of her body is covered in black ink and she alleges her ex-partner forced her to endure hours upon hours of tattoo sessions during 2020 and 2021.
The man’s name, initials and possessive phrases were all etched onto the woman’s skin, pictures show. She claims he even targeted areas he believed had been touched by another man using a tattoo gun reportedly bought via AliExpress.
She has since undergone a series of painful tattoo removals to get rid of the unwanted body art and claims she reported her ex to police, but he remains free.
Andy Han, founder of Dutch organisation Stichting Spijt van Tattoo – which helps people remove unwanted ink – said the abuse escalated over time.
He said: “Her ex began stalking, threatening and intimidating her. As a result, she numbed herself with alcohol and drugs, which eventually left her unable to defend herself.”
The charity launched a fundraiser to help remove the tattoos – with the painful process costing far more than getting inked in the first place. Han said: “A laser machine alone costs nearly €200,000 (£174,000).
“Any reasonable person knows someone wouldn’t voluntarily get tattoos near the eye, on the nose or on the ear.
“But ultimately, the authorities couldn’t pursue it because it was legally difficult to prove. Her ex claimed she consented. For Joke, that feels like an injustice.”
The fundraiser has now smashed its €30,000 (£26,000) target.
Joke is still undergoing treatment and hopes to be completely tattoo-free by the end of the year.
Any extra funds will go towards helping other women who have suffered similar abuse.
She said: “Someone who has been deeply hurt can rise again. If I can do it, so can someone else.”
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