British tourist, 33, fined for spray-painting school wall in Thailand
A British tourist and his friend from New Zealand were fined for spray-painting a school wall in Thailand.
Elliot Michael Scott, 33, from Oldham and Keegan Daniel Sporott, 26, from Auckland, were daubing black paint across the school facade when they were caught by police in Chiang Mai.
Footage shows officers detaining the pair, who were still spraying the wall, fence, and a nearby electrical box when police arrived at 12:40 am local time on July 11.
Cops seized their spray paint cans and hauled them to the station.
The suspects were charged with offences under the Act on the Maintenance of the Cleanliness and Orderliness of the Country.
Police Lieutenant Chatchawan Tanta said the men allegedly admitted to 'vandalising out of recklessness'.
He said: 'The investigating officer fined each of them 3,000 baht. They apologised, stating that they acted on impulse. They promised not to do it again.'
The tourists have also agreed to pay 4,000 baht to the school as compensation.
Chiang Mai has seen several vandalism incidents involving tourists in recent months.
In March, a French tourist Daniel Arav, 28, was ordered to repaint a pizza shop he allegedly defaced with graffiti.
He paid 20,000 baht in compensation after claiming he acted 'out of ignorance'.
While in January, an Australian couple Joshua Paul Cameron, 31, from South Perth, and Gabrielle Catherine Collins, 26, from Mount Waverley, were also arrested for allegedly spray-painting a temple wall in the city.
They were ordered to pay 15,000 baht in damages.
