‘I didn’t feel like living’: Brazilian teen still trying to completely remove facial tattoo with ex-boyfriend’s name she had to take after he kidnapped her
- Tayane Caldas has undergone six free laser sessions to remove her boyfriend’s name from the right side of her face
- The 19-year-old was kidnapped by Gabriel Coelho on May 20, 2022, for ending their relationship and keeping her in his home for 24 hours.
- He beat her and tied her to a chair before inking his name on her face; living with the tattoo made Caldas think she ‘no longer had the will to live’
A Brazilian teen is still trying to remove her tattoo a year after her ex-boyfriend kidnapped her and forced her to write his name on the right side of her face.
Tayane Caldas, 19, even wondered if she had anything worth living for as she struggled with the constant reminder of what Gabriel Coelho forced her to go through after he held her captive and left her for an entire day in his house because he wasn’t. glad their relationship was over.
‘It was horrible. I no longer had the will to live,” the 19-year-old told Brazilian outlet G1. “A month after what happened, I started therapy. It was really bad, my head was a whirlwind of thoughts.
“I thought, ‘Do I deserve to go through this?’ Then I came back to reality; today’s Tayane is different. Today I see real facts.’
Coelho is now behind bars and serving a five-year sentence for the incident, even though Caldas tries to erase the memory.
Tayane Caldas (pictured in May 2022) got her ex-boyfriend’s first and last name tattooed on her face because he was angry that she had ended their relationship. She was kidnapped and taken to his home in the southern Brazilian state of São Paulo, where Gabriel Coelho withdrew his name against her wishes. Coelho was sentenced to 5 years in prison in October 2022
Tayane Caldas (pictured in May 2023) recently told Brazilian news outlet G1 that she underwent six laser tattoo removal sessions at a local aesthetic center that offers the whole process for free
Gabriel Coelho (right) was sentenced to five years in prison in October 2022 for kidnapping Tayane Caldas (left) in May 2022. Coelho imprisoned his ex-girlfriend in his home for four hours, where he beat her and then tattooed his name . her face
Caldas was on her way to school on May 20, 2022 when Alves approached her and forced her into his car, which was being driven by his father.
Alves’ father, José Coelho, took her to the family home where his son disfigured Caldas’ face and wrote his name on the side of her right ear up to the right side of her chin.
He beat her and tied her to a chair before inking his name on her face after she ended their relationship.
Caldas’ mother reported her missing to the local police station and tracked her down to her ex-boyfriend’s residence the next day.
News of her ordeal received national attention in the South American country, and an aesthetic center volunteered to offer free laser tattoo removal sessions.
Caldas has had six sessions so far and uses additional makeup to cover the rest of the tattoo.
“It’s been well whitened already, letters have already come out,” she explained. “But I still haven’t been able to remove them completely.”
Gabriel Coelho (pictured) was sentenced to five years in prison in October 2022 for kidnapping Tayane Caldas in May 2022. Coelho imprisoned his ex-girlfriend in his home for four hours, where he beat her and then tattooed his name on her face .
Tayane Caldas (pictured in 2022) met a psychologist who helped her overcome the trauma of being kidnapped by her boyfriend, who had his first and last name tattooed on her face. The 19-year-old admitted it was hard to “meet other people” and wished she could “go back in time, hug myself and say ‘you can do it, you are strong'”
The stigma of appearing in public with Coelho’s name tattooed on her face bothered every time she stepped out in public.
A month later, she attended sessions with a psychologist to help her recover from the traumatic event.
“I’ve even told my therapist it’s scary to meet other people. What I wanted was to be able to go back in time, hug myself and say ‘you can do it, you’re strong,'” Caldas said. “I thought I didn’t have the strength. We just need a push and courage. There are several women who have open arms.’
She now hopes to use her unfortunate battle with domestic violence to help other victims by representing them as an attorney in the future.
In October 2022, a judge sentenced Gabriel Coelho to five years in prison
“By the beginning of the year (2024) I’m going to take the entrance exam and I’m going to do well,” she said. ‘I’m thinking about working in the criminal sphere. My inspiration is my lawyer. That way I had a voice and as a lawyer I could help victims of violence.’