Sick new craze sees people etching serial killers like Myra Hindley and Ted Bundy onto their skin
The chilling tattoos are stunning works of art, but reveal a very sinister obsession with some of the world's worst criminals
WHEN thinking about getting a tattoo, many of us would choose an etching that carries a positive, emotional meaning (unless you're drunk on holiday in Kavos).
But a bizarre new craze is seeing Brits getting tattoos of serial killers like Moors Murderer Myra Hindley and US slaughterer Ted Bundy.
These chilling inkings may be stunning works of art, but they reveal a very sinister obsession with some of the world's worst criminals.
The big question is, why would you want the face of someone who committed such awful atrocities permanently inked on your skin?
Daniel Lee Dyer, from Portsmouth, has a tattoo of American serial killer Ted Bundy on his right forearm.
Speaking about why he chose to get a tattoo of a murderer, the 26-year-old aerospace engineer told The Sun: "I was on Facebook one day and it was coming up to Halloween.
"I saw this had a special offer, she said she'd do serial killer portraits for 50 quid, so I thought, why not?"
Ted Bundy was an American serial killer, rapist, kidnapper and necrophiliac who assaulted and murdered numerous young women during the 1970s.
After more than a decade of denials, he confessed not long before his execution to 30 homicides committed in seven states between 1974 and 1978, though the true total remains unknown and could be much higher.
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Daniel explained: "Originally I was going to get Jeffrey Dahmer (also known as the Milwaukee Cannibal) but my mum begged me not to, so Bundy was a compromise. My sister is not very impressed with the idea either.
"People usually ask why did I do it, what's the story, and I say I've always been interested in the idea of a serial killers and what motivates people to do that.
"I'm going to turn it into an art piece as well as a tattoo. There will be other killers on there."
Daniel said he has around 12 tattoos in total, including a full sleeve on his left arm.
He intends to add Richard Ramírez, aka the Night Stalker, and Troy Kell to his collection.
But one Brit has already beaten him to it when it comes to Ramírez.
The woman, who wished to remain anonymous as she feared receiving death threats, told the : "It’s very controversial and the majority of people will never understand why I would get such a horrible, nasty person tattooed on me.
"People will probably still struggle to understand even after I explain my reasons why.
"But it takes a very particular mind."
She said she had always been fascinated by psychology - that of serial killers in particular.
Ricardo Leyva "Richard" Muñoz Ramírez was a notorious American serial killer, rapist and burglar.
He terrorised the residents of Los Angeles and San Francisco from June 1984 until August 1985, killing and mutilating 13 people.
He was dubbed the Night Stalker by the media prior to his capture, and famously pledged allegiance to Satan on his day in court by raising his palm, revealing a pentagon tattoo.
The recipient of his etching said she loves the "beautiful" inking, adding: "I chose to get the tattoo of Richard Ramirez because I find him very mysterious."
Other people who opted to get a tattoo of a murderer, revealed on an post, chose child rapist and cannibal Albert Fish and Soviet serial killer Andrei Romanovich Chikatilo, nicknamed the Butcher of Rostov.
Chikatilo committed the sexual assault, murder and mutilation of a minimum of 52 women and children between 1978 and 1990 in the Russian SFSR, the Ukrainian SSR and the Uzbek SSR.
Another choice was Charles Milles Manson, an American criminal and musician who led what became known as the Manson Family.
In 1971 he was found guilty of conspiracy to commit the murders of seven people including actress Sharon Tate and married couple Leno and Rosemary LaBianca - all carried out by members of the group at his instruction in the late 1960s.
Other etchings included Jeffrey Lionel Dahmer, also known as the Milwaukee Cannibal, John Wayne Gacy, Jr, often referred to as the Killer Clown, and H.H. Holmes, one of the first documented American 'serial killers'.
