The bungling tattoo artist who left a young woman blind after inking her eyeballs incorrectly will never go to jail, a Polish court has ruled.
Victim Aleksandra Sadowska went to get the whites of her eyes tattooed black at a studio in Warsaw, Poland, in April 2017.
Aleksandra, who had found the studio online, told local media at the time: “I’ve always wanted tattooed eyes, I thought they suited me.”
But the bungling tattoo artist – identified only as Piotr A. – penetrated too deeply with the needle and used an ink that was uncertified for use on eyes.
Aleksandra, who is from Wroclaw, said at the time: “The tattoo artist had dozens of such procedures in his portfolio. At least that’s what he said.
“Then it turned out not to be true. He also claimed to have a medical education, which is also doubtful.”
She added: “I was assured that I was not risking anything. During the procedure, I suddenly lost vision in one eye.
“I said that something was wrong. The tattoo artist claimed it was normal and that it would pass.”
But Piotr A. could not have been more wrong.
Aleksandra, who was 21 years old at the time, developed glaucoma, followed by advanced cataracts.
She had to undergo three operations, but none brought much improvement.
One of her eyes had to be replaced with an implant, while she can only see a shimmering light out of the other.
Aleksandra ended up suing the tattoo studio.
On 20th December last year, the Warsaw-Wola district court found Piotr A. guilty of failing to provide assistance to an injured party and of causing permanent disability.
It ordered him to pay Aleksandra PLN 150,000 (GBP 29,000) and perform 30 hours of community service per month for one year.
Following the verdict, lawyer Pawel Jagielski told local media: “In our preliminary assessment, the amount of PLN 150,000 is still disproportionate to the extent of the harm suffered – severe disability in the form of total loss of sight.”
Shocked that Piotr A. had avoided jail, Aleksandra’s defence filed an appeal against the decision.
On 10th June, a new verdict was reached.
According to the verdict, Piotr A. will still avoid going to jail and will only have to pay Aleksandra, now aged 27, an extra PLN 50,000 (GBP 9,600).
The new verdict is reportedly final.
