An Australian teen has seen her family torn apart over a seemingly innocuous decision to get a tattoo of a dreamcatcher on her leg. Casey Victory was 16 when she decided to get inked and to comply with the country’s laws on consent, she got permission from her father to be able to do it. So far so good, right? Well, not so much. Her mom was so angry that her dad allowed Casey to get tattooed that she pressed charges against him for it, and now he could go to jail!
- Casey’s dad Bradley also has tattoos. That’s part of the reason she asked him for permission to get her own – she knew he’d understand. He was of course okay with it, especially since she was so passionate about the symbolism behind the Native American dreamcatcher. It was so meaningful, how could he say no?
- When Casey’s mom found out, she was none too pleased. In fact, her mother, Nadene Rae Rees, was absolutely livid and immediately decided to take Bradley to court for assault occasioning actual bodily harm and wounding a person with the intent to cause grievous bodily harm. The latter charge was thrown out, but the assault charge remains, meaning Bradley could end up in jail over this for a minimum of five years. Unsurprisingly, he’s pleaded not guilty.
- Nadene’s complaint is that the decision was made without her consent. Despite the fact that New South Wales law only requires one parent’s permission for a minor to receive a tattoo, that hasn’t stopped Nadene from pressing forward with the charges. However, Bradley still believes he made the right decision. “I’ll do anything for Casey, to protect my daughter. Yeah, I would go to extreme [lengths for] all my kids. They mean the world to me,” he told A Current Affair.
- Casey hasn’t spoken to her mom in three years because of this. Casey is sticking by her dad’s side and has completely cut her mother off because of this situation. “I haven’t spoken to my mum in three years,” Casey said, adding that her dad is “all I could ever ask for. He’s the best dad. He does everything for me. I can go to him about anything, teaches me how to do stuff, can ask him anything. He’s always there for me when I need help.” Hopefully her mother comes to her senses eventually.
