An 18-year-old Saltcoats lad has had his arm tattooed to represent his survival of sexual abuse.

Kyran Harvie suffered repeated traumatising attacks at the hands of Stephen Cannon, who was jailed last month for his crimes.

Cannon repeatedly touched Kyran, groping him sexually and leaving him feeling ashamed with suicidal thoughts.

With the love and support of his family, Kyran has come back from the brink of self-harm and the tattoo is a symbol of all he has been through.

He told the Herald: “It’s a symbol of being a survivor of abuse, any kind of abuse.

“It reminds me of how strong I’ve been through the difficult times.

“I thought the design was stunning and thought it would be a powerful thing to get instead of trying to hideaway.”

Kyran didn’t want the tattoo to be hidden, he wanted it be visible.

So when the tattoo artist asked him how he wanted the ink to appear he asked for the design to face outwards, like a badge of honour rather not something to be ashamed of.

He was inspired by other survivors or abuse who have chosen to have a tattoo as an emblem of their experience.

He said: “Since I’ve had the tattoo, people have contacted me who haven’t told anyone what they’ve been through and need advice.

“Before this all happened to me, I didn’t really have any idea of what people were going through.

“Now I know how it can affect people’s lives and want to try to help them move on and get the right support.”

Kyran’s tattoo has been part of his healing process, he said he finds talking about what he’s been through helpful.

He said: “I think it was good to let people know that I am a survivor.

Explaining to people who don’t know, to let people know it is ok not to be ok.”