Woman recovering after vile ex 'branded' her with tattoos on face and groin

1140     0
Woman recovering after vile ex
Woman recovering after vile ex 'branded' her with tattoos on face and groin

A woman whose ex abducted her, tied her up, and inked his name on her face has told how she is recovering from the ordeal after having his vile tattoo removed.

Tayane Caldas was snatched by her former boyfriend, Gabriel Henrique Alves Coelho, as she left her home in Taubate, Brazil, to go to a class on May 20 last year. Coelho, then 20, drove her to his home, where he tied her up and forcibly signed his name, "Gabriel Coelho", in tattoos on her face, breasts, and groin. The huge facial ink-branding ran down the entire length of Tayane's right jawbone.

Tayane recalled: "When he finished tattooing, he told me to look at myself in the mirror and simply said that I looked beautiful." When she was released 24 hours later, she called police and Coelho was arrested. Now - after laser treatment to remove the tattoos - Tayane says: "It's a huge relief to see that this story is finally coming to an end."

Woman recovering after vile ex 'branded' her with tattoos on face and groin eidekiqtiqrtinvTwisted Gabriel Henrique Alves Coelho (@gabriel.coelho.585559/CEN)

Tayane, then 18, had dated Coelho for three years but decided to end it because of his jealous and possessive behaviour. Coelho was furious at the break-up and constantly threatened Tayane, leading her to take out a restraining order on him. He was eventually found guilty of breaching the order and of causing severe bodily injury, earning himself five years and three months behind bars in October.

Tayane told local media back in May: "It was horrible. I didn't want to live anymore. I started therapy a month after what happened. I was in a really bad state; my mind was a whirlwind of thoughts. I thought, 'Do I deserve to go through this?'" But now - she says - "I used to avoid looking at the tattoos to not keep remembering, but I stopped to look these days and saw that it was quite faded."

Man in 30s dies after being stabbed in park sparking police probeMan in 30s dies after being stabbed in park sparking police probe
Woman recovering after vile ex 'branded' her with tattoos on face and groinTayane has had the ink removed

The inkings on Tayane's body have now fully vanished, and the laser technician treating her tats for free says the one on her face will soon be completely gone, too. Although her journey is not quite over yet, Tayane has overcome her trauma and has stopped using foundation or face masks to cover what remains of the inking. She now wants to use her story to help and warn other women who are or could become victims of abusive relationships.

Tayane told local media: "I always advise seeking someone who can help you, understand what your family members, who are outside of your relationship, see, see what they think... I know it's embarrassing, as I felt for a long time, but the secret is to take care of your heart and mind and lean on your family; that helps you disconnect from a situation like this."

Ryan Fahey

Print page

Comments:

comments powered by Disqus