Man with 'notorious' face tattoo makes crowdfunding plea
The wife of a New Zealand man with a huge ‘notorious’ face tattoo is asking Kiwis to help pay for the man’s education.
Mongrel Mob member Puk Kireka, 31, has vowed to turn his life around after his second stint in prison, according to the Givealittle crowdfunding page his wife Waiora Tareha set up.
Since his release from jail, the father-of-three now plays rugby as a winger for Tamatea, in the city of Napier, and plans to study sport and recreation to land a job in the industry.
"Help Puk on his path to his dream job by supporting him with his education, course and study fees so that he is able to obtain his Cert, Diploma and Bachelors degree in Sport and Exercise Science to become a Personal Trainer," Ms Tareha wrote on the page.
Kireka has been a member of the street gang for more than a decade, according to the New Zealand Herald.
He has reportedly served three years on violence-related charges and two years for standovers.
The man said he has turned a corner since working with the football club’s head coach during a 13-month fitness program, where he shed 31kg.
"I've proved to be an inspiration for other mobsters throughout the country,” Kireka told Hawkes Bay Today.
“Since they have read about my lifestyle change on Facebook many have been in touch asking about my fitness programs so they can follow them."
Kireka planned to start a Sport and Recreation course at the Eastern Institute of Technology next month.
In 2017, a Kiwi father was laughed out of job interviews after covering half his face with a tattoo in jail that read DEVAST8.
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