‘Scousse Lee’ faces 10 years in jail over Thai fortress graffiti
A BRITISH backpacker who sprayed graffiti on an 800-year-old fortress in Thailand after a drinks binge is facing up to 10 years in prison.
Lee Furlong, 23, from Liverpool, used black spray paint to deface the Tha Phae gate in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand, with the misspelled slogan “Scousse Lee”.
He faces prosecution under Thailand’s Antiques, Objects of Art and National Museums Act 1961, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in jail or a one million baht (£25,000) fine.
Yesterday, Mr Furlong said that he had been drinking all day and was “blind drunk” when he committed the offence early on Thursday morning.
He added that he was “terrified” at what will happen to him.
The graffiti caused outrage among locals, who accused Mr Furlong and Brittney Schneider, a 23-year-old Canadian woman who was arrested with him, of disrespecting the ancient monument and their country.
The pair, who were caught in the act on CCTV, were arrested by police on Thursday afternoon after they were tracked down to their hostel.
They were marched down to the site, which had been cleaned, where they confessed to the crime.
Mr Furlong said he had found out his grandmother was dying before he defaced the wall.
He added: “I’d been drinking all day. I’d had some bad news from my family and I went out drinking. I mean, I was really, really drunk.
“I saw the spray can and just picked it up. Honestly, I didn’t know what I was doing. When I woke up, the police were here.
“They took me to the station and I was in shock. I’m terrified of what will happen now.”
Mr Furlong, who was a gardener in Kent before going travelling, was due to return to the UK this weekend after a month away. It was the first time he had travelled abroad alone, his mother, Michelle Furlong, said.
Speaking to The Daily Telegraph, Mrs Furlong, 46, said she was “devastated” by her son’s behaviour and the family had been forced to borrow money for his £3,500 bail.
She said: “I am devastated it’s happened in a historic place. If I could go over to Thailand and clean it off myself then I would. I would also apologise to everyone he’s offended. That’s not how he was brought up but he has done a stupid thing.
“We aren’t in a good financial position to deal with it all, to be honest.”
Mrs Furlong said her son has tuberous sclerosis, which causes epilepsy, mood swings and benign tumours on his brain. She added: “Having this condition changes your personality.
“Unfortunately, hearing about his dying gran caused him to go out and get drunk and spray-paint the wall.”
Mr Furlong said police had taken away his passport ahead of a court hearing in two weeks, adding: “I’ve spoken to my family and I’m trying to get some help. I really need it. I don’t know what to do.”
‘I’d been drinking all day after I’d had some bad news from my family. I was really, really drunk’