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
Patrick Mahomes accidentally injured his Chiefs teammate, leaving him extremely upset and unable to calm down.
Patrick Mahomes may have made two big mistakes on the same play, which resulted in rising star Rashee Rice getting hurt. He had to be taken off the field on a cart, and it looks like he suffered a serious leg injury.
Rice looked to be in considerable pain as he was carted away
Patrick Mahomes threw an interception and accidentally injured his top receiver, Rashee Rice, on the same play.
After Mahomes threw an interception to Los Angeles Chargers safety Kristian Fulton, he tried to tackle the ball carrier but ended up landing on Rice. Rice had punched the ball out of Fulton’s hands, but Mahomes’ tackle attempt hit Rice’s right leg, causing a serious injury.
Rice had to leave the field on a cart, clearly hurt. He was very upset, with a towel over his head, as he was taken to the locker room for tests to check how bad the injury was.
Rice has been the Chiefs’ top receiver this season, ranking fourth in the NFL with 288 yards and two touchdowns.
Mahomes immediately knew he had made a mistake and watched as medical staff helped Rice, who was struggling to get up from the field.
With Travis Kelce not performing as well this season, Rice has become Mahomes’ main target on offense.
It looks like the Chiefs will need Travis Kelce more than ever this season, especially if Rashee Rice’s injury turns out to be as serious as it seemed on the field.
Rice isn’t the only receiver the Chiefs have lost this week. Marquise “Hollywood” Brown is out for the entire season without even playing a game due to a shoulder injury he got during preseason.
The Chiefs also drafted a receiver, Xavier Worthy, in the first round this year, but they’ve had trouble getting him the ball consistently since his strong debut where he scored two touchdowns against the Baltimore Ravens.
Now, head coach Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes are anxiously waiting for the results of Rice’s scans as they find themselves trailing the Chargers in the first half.
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