A prison that has held A-list celebrities such as George Michael and George Best has started a tattoo course for inmates.
HMP Pentonville has become the first jail in the country to offer it.
The men’s Category B prison is also a young offender institution in Islington, north London.
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Over the years, the late Careless Whisper pop star Michael and former Manchester United footy legend have been banged up there.
Other showbiz stars held at Pentonville have included fellow singers Boy George, Pete Doherty and Blake Fielder-Civil – the ex-husband of Amy Winehouse.
As part of the tattoo course, inmates make use of adjusted machines and ballpoint pens as needles are banned.
Two out of the first 10 prisoners to take the course are already working as tattoo artists.
And the first students on the 10-day course all graduated with 100% attendance.
There is now a waiting list of 50 men who are keen to learn the trade.
And other jails are beginning to show interest in the course.
Alan Lofts opened his first tattoo academy in 2006 and now teaches in Pentonville.
The ex-armed services officer even employed two of the inmates from the course to work in his own studio.
The course started in November 2024, as reported by Need To Know.
Alan Lofts told Inside Time: “It works well.
“Everyone trained on these easily adapts to using needles.
“Koi fish, dragons, and Phoenixes [are popular designs].
“Kois spend their lives swimming up-stream, fighting incoming tides, representing the early life of prisoners.
“The dragon reflects courage and strength to survive sentences, and the Phoenix is reborn from the ashes.”
