Liverpool man facing decade in Thai prison after spraypainting 'Scouse Lee' on 800-year-old gate
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Liverpool man facing decade in Thai prison after spraypainting 'Scouse Lee' on 800-year-old gate

A MAN from Liverpool is facing up to a decade in prison after spraypainting his nickname onto the wall of an 800-year-old Thai fortress.

Lee Furlong, 23, was backpacking in Thailand when he and a friend left graffiti on the wall of the historic 13th century Tha Phae Gate in Chiang Mai early on Thursday morning.

The graffiti, which was misspelled, read "Scousse Lee B".

A short manhunt led to the British tourist being arrested at a nearby hostel along with Brittney Schneider, also 23, from Canada.

It is alleged that Furlong sprayed the first two words before Schneider added the letter 'B'.

The pair were marched back to the site of the vandalism where they confessed and have been told they face up to 10 years in prison for desecrating a historical site, according to Sun Online.

Mr Furlong told the website of his regret over the costly "prank".

He said: "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."

Chiang Mai police lieutenant Colonel Teerasak Sriprasert said: "The graffiti says 'Scousse Lee'. This means 'Scouser Lee from Liverpool'. The girl is called Brittney and she wrote a letter 'B' on the wall.

"Officers investigated the vandalism after it was seen on CCTV cameras. The offenders were tracked to a guest house near the same road as the wall.

"The accused will be investigated and prosecuted according to the law."

What a pair of geniuses!