A Briton and a Canadian were caught by Thai authorities for vandalizing an ancient wall in northern Thailand. Canadian Brittney Schneider and British Lee Furlong, both 23, were seen on surveillance video spray painting Chiang Mai’s historic wall on Thursday around 4 am reports Coconuts Bangkok. They face up to 10 years in prison and a fine of $30,700 for damaging an ancient monument.

Thai locals were furious when they saw Chiang Mai’s most famous landmark and historical fortress, Tha Phae Gate tagged up with “Scouser Lee B”. The police were called and they got their hands on surveillance video showing a group of four people walk towards the wall. One of them picks up a spray can and starts tagging while the other three looks on.

After the first guy was done another person uses the can to spray paint the wall. They are then seen trying to negotiate with a tuk-tuk driver but it seems unsuccessful so they walk off.

จ้าาาา Posted by Chang Nightster on Wednesday, October 17, 2018

The Thai people were not happy and wanted the perpetrators caught. One wrote, “Arrest them. Make it front page news and humiliate them publicly.”

The police found the suspects the following day at a nearby hostel named Mad Monkey. The two of them confessed to the crime saying that it was the result of being drunk. However, they stated that they didn’t know it was illegal to spray paint on the wall and they considered it to be a form of “artistic expression.” When police asked about the meaning of the word “Scouser Lee B” the British boy said that it was a longtime nickname for Liverpudlians, “Scousers” along with his first name “Lee”. The “B” was from Canadian Brittney after the initial of her first name.

The two now face up to 10 years in prison if convicted. The two others in their group will not be charged because they didn’t spray paint the wall. Fortunately for them the director of Thailand’s Ancient Monument Conservation Association, Terdsak Yenjura, said that experts were able to clean the paint off the wall without any damage. The punishment seems a little harsh but they should get the ten years just for saying it’s a form of “artistic expression”. Luckily they didn’t pull this in Singapore where they cane people. This will be a hard lesson but I doubt they’ll get ten years.

UPDATE 10-24-2018: Brittney Schneider has apologized and given her side of the story. Check it out here.