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By The Canadian Press

No jail time for city woman arrested in Thailand

Nov 13, 2018 | 5:23 AM

A Canadian woman who was arrested in northern Thailand for spraying paint an ancient wall has avoided jail time, but must still pay a substantial fine for her actions.

Brittney Schneider, who is from Grande Prairie, Alta., was arrested along with a British man in mid-October after they sprayed the walls of the Tha Pae Gate in Chiang Mai.

They were charged with vandalizing an ancient artifact and faced a maximum of 10 years in prison and a fine equivalent to about $40,000 in Canadian funds.

Schneider, who is 22, tells CTV News her sentence was initially reduced to one year in prison and a financial penalty of around $4,000 before the judge ruled no jail time, but kept the fine in place.

Schneider does not yet know when she can return home.

She says she must wait for the court to send papers to immigration authorities stating that her case is closed and that she is no longer blacklisted.

by The Canadian Press