Southsea tattoo studio Chilli Tattoo vandalised with obscene 'pedo' and 'Satan' graffiti
A TATTOO studio in Southsea has been vandalised with obscene graffiti after several weeks of intimidating anti-social behaviour along the road, leading to a physical altercation outside the marred shopfront.
The owners of Chilli Tattoo attended their studio in Albert Road on Monday morning to find that the shopfront had been defaced with obscenities and the phrases ‘silly old man’ and ‘Satan was here’.
It follows several weeks of intimidating anti-social behaviour from several motorbike riders, who have allegedly been revving their engines outside the studio and swearing at staff after complaints about the noise from their bikes, according to the tattoo business owners.
Kerry Hutton, who runs the studio with her partner Michael Hassanyeh, said: 'We have had quite a terrible three weeks.
'A motorbike has been going along the road – people have been holding their ears when it's going past the shop.
'We have been intimidated by four or five motorbikes revving their engines and sticking their fingers up at us.’
Referring to her reaction upon seeing the vandalism, Kerry added: ‘I was obviously distraught, I was crying my eyes out.’
'Fourteen years we have been here. It's destroying us. One of my staff doesn't want to go to work. It's been so disturbing, I'm so scared of losing my staff over this. It's horrific.’
Artist Michael said he had spent weeks making the outside artwork that has now been ruined by the graffiti.
Referring to the ‘pedo’ obscenities, he said: 'It's the false accusations - that kind of thing...you don’t put allegations like that out there. The staff are worried about false retribution from some vigilante.
‘It's causing friction in the shop between us all.'
A physical altercation over the vandalism broke out in front of the shop on Monday morning, with police attending the scene.
A spokesman from Hampshire Constabulary said: ‘An altercation took place at the location resulting in a man in his 40s suffering a minor injury to his face.
‘Officers attended and spoke to those involved.
‘A man in his 50s, a man in his 40s and a 19-year-old man have all been dealt with via community resolutions in connection with the altercation.’
Police report that they still investigating the criminal damage.