The mother of a British tourist facing 10 years in a Thai jail after spray-painting an Ancient fortress has reportedly said she is 'embarrassed and ashamed'.

Lee Furlong, from Liverpool, faces a decade-long prison sentence over the incident on October 18 at 4am if he is convicted.

And his mum Michelle Furlong has reportedly said she feels a mixture of devastation and fear.

But she said his actions may have been down to a rare brain condition - Tuberous Sclerosis Complex, according to the reports.

Michelle told the Daily Mail : "We feel absolutely devastated, mortified and so scared - because my kid is in prison in Thailand, and all the horror stories that go along with that.

"I am so embarrassed and ashamed. I cannot even begin to describe how our family has been affected by his actions.

"He is prone to making ill judgements - he has a lot of tumours in the frontal and temporal lobes of his brain and suffers with epilepsy as a result of it."

Lee Furlong, 23, used a can of black spray paint to tag the historic Tha Phae gate in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand (
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Facebook)
Lee's mum Michelle has spoken out (
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Facebook)
The 23-year-old revealed he was "blind drunk" when he wrote 'Scousse Lee' on the Tha Phae gate in Chiang Mai (
Image:
News Time Asia)

She said Lee has always found emotional situations difficult.

Michelle also said the family received bad news earlier this week that Lee's grandmother is dying after she was rushed to hospital, reports said.

The mother reportedly believed her mother-in-law's condition may have contributed to her son's actions.

Earlier today, the 23-year-old revealed he was "blind drunk" when he picked up the can of black spray and wrote 'Scousse Lee' on the Tha Phae gate in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand.

He was arrested along with Canadian tourist Brittney Schneider, also 23.

Lee partied in Thailand before his arrest (
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Facebook)

Locals have accused the travellers of disrespecting the ancient 13th century monument and their country.

Speaking by phone from his hotel, Lee 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."

Lee said that police had taken away his passport and a court hearing had been set for two weeks from now.

He said: "I've spoken to my family and I'm trying to get some help. I really need it. I honestly don't know what to do. My visa runs out in two days, that's another problem.

"I had been having such an amazing time here. The best time of my life.

"I'm just devastated that I've done something so stupid. I'm sorry to all the Thai people that have been offended by it. I've been an idiot."

Lee now faces prosecution under Thailand's Antiques, Objects of Art and National Museums act 1961, section 32, which carries a maximum punishment of ten years in prison and or a one million baht (£23,000) fine for ''anyone who invades an ancient site, or damages, destroys, degrades or renders it useless''.