Prospect tattooist Sourabh Ohri convicted and fined for tattooing 15-year-old

A “somewhat foolish” Prospect tattooist now faces a possible 10-year ban after he inked a 15-year-old girl without checking her ID.

A tattooist who inked a 15-year-old girl without checking her ID said he wasn’t aware of Australian tattooing laws after moving here from India a year ago.

Sourabh Ohri, 37, now faces a possible 10-year disqualification after the permanent mark was spotted by the child’s mother.

The Adelaide Magistrates Court on Monday heard Ohri came to the attention of police after he tattooed the 15-year-old girl in July and her mother reported it to police.

“Naturally she wasn’t happy about that,” the prosecutor said.

Sourabh Ohri was sentenced for performing a body modification on a minor. Picture: TikTok

Police attended Ohri’s Prospect premises and found he had failed to obtain a written agreement with the victim, failed to keep records of people he had tattooed and did not have relevant information displayed.

Ohri pleaded guilty to multiple offences, including performing a body modification on a minor and failing to keep records.

Joel Horskins, for Ohri, told the court his client had been a tattooist in India for five years before he moved to Australia on a bridging visa a year ago.

“My instructions are that the industry over there is perhaps not quite as regulated as it is here,” he said.

The court heard the victim attended Ohri’s business with three other males, who were aged in their 20s, and she also requested a tattoo after he finished tattooing them.

“He requested her identification, she didn’t have it,” Mr Horskins said.

“Unfortunately he proceeded with the tattoo and she said she would provide it later. She didn’t.”

Mr Horskins pushed for no conviction, saying Ohri wasn’t aware of his obligations as a tattooist in Australia as he spoke limited English.

Sourabh Ohri now faces a possible 10-year ban. Picture: TikTok

The court heard Ohri, who is now possibly facing a 10 year disqualification from Consumer Affairs, had implemented appropriate procedures now.

Magistrate Brian Nitschke said it was “somewhat foolish” of Ohri to assume the regulations here were the same as in India.

“Minds might vary about whether tattoos are a good thing, a bad thing, whether they enhance the body or not,” Mr Nitschke said.

“That’s not for me to decide … but the part decided is that if you’re going to tattoo then you must do certain things.”

Mr Nitschke said it was Ohri’s responsibility to know what the laws were and check identification.

“Unfortunately, as I understand it, once a tattoo is stuck on your body, if they produce identification that shows they’re underage the tattoo doesn’t suddenly disappear – it stays there permanently,” he said.

Mr Nitschke said it was appropriate to record a conviction for the first offence to deter other tattooists from not following the law.

Ohri was sentenced to a $1000, 18-month good behaviour bond and fined $540.