THREE adults have been charged in the American state of Virginia after two girls, both under the age of 13, were allegedly tattooed.

The Lyndhurst News and Advance reported that the girls' mother, 35-year-old Melissa Delp, was charged along with her boyfriend, 32-year-old Daniel Janney, and an associate, 20-year-old Alexander Edwards.

The paper stated that Edwards was charged with two counts of malicious wounding, two counts of abduction and two counts of felony child abuse, after allegedly tattooing the children without their consent or the consent of their parents on December 22 last year.

The Associated Press reported that Delp and Janney were charged with malicious wounding and child abuse after Janney subsequently attempted to remove the tattoos with a hot razor blade.

Tattooing regulations vary from state to state in the US, but according to the American ABC network, in Virginia, parental consent is required for anybody who wishes to get a tattoo under the age of 18.

###