A man who gave a father-of-two a dodgy tattoo in his garden shed before he died of sepsis says the tragic death was not his fault as he speaks for the first time.
Ben Larry, 32, died on May 6 last year after Tony Learmount, who operated from an unlicensed shack in his back garden in Middlesborough, gave him a tattoo on his leg.
An inquest into Mr Larry’s death concluded earlier this week that his leg became infected after the tattoo, which later developed into multiple organ failure.
Now Learmount, who says he has received death threats over the incident, has lashed out at critics and instead said Larry was a “close friend” and that his death was not his fault.
He told MailOnline: ‘Ben was my friend for 12 years and even cut my hair on my wedding day.
‘Just like when we get a tattoo anywhere, there is always the risk of infection.
Father Ben Larry, who contracted sepsis after receiving a tattoo from an unlicensed artist
The studio was not licensed and Learmount had been banned from tattooing by the same council in 2018.
‘He was a close friend of mine and that has affected me. I don’t even like to mention his name anymore because of that.
“It is traumatic and I am receiving threats and I have already had to take my children out of school for two days because people tell them that their father is a murderer.
‘Many of the threats are also online and comments say he should have been convicted of manslaughter.
“There was nothing to indicate that the infection was due to the tattoo. I also heard that Ben had pre-existing conditions and that other people had gotten numerous tattoos.
‘Unfortunately people can get sepsis from anywhere.
‘I had a friend who scratched his leg in Türkiye and died.
“Ben and I had a conversation before he came and I said, ‘I’m finished and you’ll be finished,’ meaning we were taking care of the aftercare.
“The police have been shown those conversations and they still have them.”
A 35-year-old man was arrested in connection with Larry’s death, but the case was dropped due to “evidential difficulties.”
However, Mr Learmont was later prosecuted by Middlesborough Council for tattooing on unlicensed premises and fined £1,000.
A Cleveland Police spokesperson said: “Following a police investigation, it was decided that due to evidentiary difficulties there would be no prosecution in respect of the death of a 32-year-old man.”
Mr Learmont continued: ‘I now have a license but I agree with the fine I was given in court.
‘The shed was in good condition and I put in a wall and everything that was needed.
‘But I didn’t give it the license at the time because it was built around Covid and I forgot.
‘I have experience and have had two studies in the past. I now have a license and am looking for a place to have a unit.’
He added: “This is not just any joke, it has affected me enormously and the last year has been a blur.”
The inquest into Mr Larry’s death took place at Teesside Coroner’s Court on April 16.
Before his death, Cleveland police had issued a warning to the public about the dangers of unlicensed tattoo artists, urging people to check the Body Art registry before visiting a tattoo artist.
Middlesbrough Council previously circulated images of Learmount’s studio after it successfully took him to court over his unlicensed tattoos.
The makeshift tattoo studio run by Tony Learmount from his back garden in Middlesbrough
Environmental health officials previously warned that Learmount’s work posed “a significant risk of harm to human health” (pictured: his studio).
Teesside Live reports that Mr Learmount was prevented from trading to protect public health, and anyone who had been tattooed by him was advised to contact their GP.
The council took action in 2018 after receiving complaints from the public about its hygiene standards at several locations in Middlesborough.
When environmental health officials investigated, they found that Learmount posed “a risk of significant harm to human health.”
The judges issued an order preventing him from practicing the profession of tattoo artist with immediate effect.
Responding to this incident, Mr Learmont said: “That had to do with an ex-girlfriend.”
“I was working in a spare room that I had converted into a small studio and it had some leftover trash.
“I asked my ex to throw it in the trash, but she kept it and put it back in the bedroom.
“Three months later, when we split up, she called the council and said Tony was getting tattoos illegally.”
Following Ben’s tragic death, his parents said: ‘Our precious, adored, kind and caring son was loved by everyone. He touched so many hearts.
‘No parent should lose a child, no child should lose their dad and no grandparent should lose a grandchild.
“Our hearts are broken, we are so fortunate to have our two beautiful grandchildren to keep his legacy and our memories of him alive.”