Brit and Canadian face ten years in Thai prison for graffiti
‘Ridiculously drunk’ tourists defaced 13th-century wall after night out
A Canadian woman facing ten years in prison in Thailand has apologised for defacing an 800-year-old wall, saying she and her British accomplice were “ridiculously drunk” at the time of the offence.
Brittney Schneider, 23, and British backpacker Lee Furlong, also 23, were arrested for vandalism by Thai police last Friday in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand.
Schneider says that she and some other tourists, including Furlong, were on their way back to their hostel after a night out in the city when they found a can of spray paint in the street near the Tha Pae Gate, the entrance to Chiang Mai’s medieval old town.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Furlong, from Liverpool, daubed “Scousse Lee” - intended to read “Scouser Lee” - on the 13th-century brickwork in large, black letters. He told the Daily Express he had been drinking alcohol all day and was “blind drunk” at the time.
Schneider intended to add her own name to the wall, but said she “came to as I finished writing the B and I stopped because I knew it was bad”, adding that they were “ridiculously drunk”, according to an email sent to The Canadian Press.
Police examined CCTV footage and arrived at the hostel the next day to arrest Furlong and Schneider on charges of vandalising an ancient site, which carries a maximum sentence of ten years in prison and a one million baht (£23,500) fine.
The pair were first marched down to the scene of the crime to see their handiwork, which has since been painstakingly scrubbed away, before being taken to jail.
The Canadian said she remained behind bars until Monday, when her family paid her 149 million baht (£3,500) bail.
“We slept on the floor. The toilets were awful and the food was awful,” Schneider told state broadcaster CBC, saying she was “terrified” at the thought of returning to prison.
Furlong’s mother, Michelle, told The Daily Telegraph that she had been forced to borrow money in order to pay her son’s bail and that she was “devastated” by his disrespectful behaviour.
“That’s not how he was brought up but he’s done a stupid thing,” she said, adding: “If I could go over to Thailand and clean it off myself then I would.”
Furlong and Schneider must remain in Thailand until they can be tried.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
5 ladylike cartoons about women's role in the election
Cartoons Artists take on the political gender gap, Lady Liberty, and more
By The Week US Published
-
The right to die: what can we learn from other countries?
The Explainer A look at the world's assisted dying laws as MPs debate Kim Leadbeater's proposed bill
By The Week Published
-
Volkswagen on the ropes: a crisis of its own making
Talking Point The EV revolution has 'left VW in the proverbial dust'
By The Week UK Published
-
What we know about the Copenhagen mall shooting
Speed Read Lone gunman had mental health issues and not thought to have terror motive, police say
By The Week Staff Published
-
Texas school shooting: parents turn anger on police
Speed Read Officers had to be urged to enter building where gunman killed 21 people
By The Week Staff Published
-
DJ Tim Westwood denies multiple sexual misconduct allegations
Speed Read At least seven women accuse the radio and TV presenter of predatory behaviour dating back three decades
By The Week Staff Published
-
What happened to Katie Kenyon?
Speed Read Man charged as police search for missing 33-year-old last seen getting into van
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
Brooklyn subway shooting: exploring New York’s ‘steep decline in law and order’
Speed Read Last week, a gunman set off smoke bombs and opened fire on a rush-hour train in the city
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
How the Capitol attack investigation is splitting the Republicans
Speed Read Vote to censure two Republican representatives has revealed deep divisions within party
By The Week Staff Published
-
Is sentencing a Nazi sympathiser to read Shakespeare an appropriate punishment?
Speed Read Judge seemed to think introducing student ‘to high culture’ would ‘magically make him a better person’ said The Daily Telegraph
By The Week Staff Published
-
Sarah Everard’s murder: a national reckoning?
Speed Read Wayne Couzen’s guilty plea doesn’t ‘tidy away the reality of sexual violence’
By The Week Staff Last updated