A man known for being ‘Britain’s most tattooed man’ says people refuse to sit next to him on public transport and he is constantly having to “challenge” strangers snapping photos of him in secret.
King Of Ink Land King Body Art The Extreme Ink-Ite has spent over 1,600 hours under the needle.
Although he loves his inked look, the 45-year-old admits it can cause problems when he’s in public in his hometown of Birmingham.
READ MORE: ‘People judge me and say I’m the DEVIL – this is my most painful body modification ever’
Or when going through airport security to travel abroad.
“I see people spot an empty seat next to me and then when they see what I look like, they sometimes decide to stand and not sit next to me,” the entrepreneur told Need To Know.
“But most trains and buses are overrun these days, so they don’t have a choice.
“I also regularly spot people aiming their phones at me and snapping a photo.
“It happened the other day as I was waiting at the bus stop.
“Most of the time, I challenge people when they do this.
“It sometimes leads to a heated argument and I’ve had lots of attitude thrown back in my face.
“It’s so blatant; they position themselves in odd angles or they still have their sound on, so I hear the flash.
“Sometimes it’s how you deal with these situations and people that make all the difference, especially when you look like me.
“But I wish people would just ask if they want to take a photo of me.”
King of Ink Land has also had his fair share of run-ins with security while going abroad.
He said: “I once flew into Australia and was stopped by immigration immediately.
“They thought I was going there to work because of the way I look.
“I had to explain I was seeing family and they asked to see my social media and all my contacts before letting me through.
“Once, I had to run to a connecting flight and my passport photo was different to how I looked, as I just had my eyes inked.
“So they took ages checking it over and even called the military police.
“I almost missed my flight, but luckily, they understood and eventually let me through.
“In Sydney, I wasn’t allowed into a posh building due to my tattoos.
“I had to prove I wasn’t affiliated with a gang for them to let me in.”
King of Ink Land says issues with security are 50/50.
It depends on if people recognise him and usually, how he’s dressed.
However, he doesn’t let any judgemental reactions get in his way.
He added: “I normally turn my back on anybody acting in a certain way around me now.
“Any photos or videos sneakily being taken are only going to be sent to a group chat for people to air their opinions.
“It’s not going to hold me back in life, as I respect people and as long as they do the same for me, that’s all that matters.”
