British man traumatised after attack at petrol station

PETALING JAYA: A 67-year-old British citizen was left traumatised after two youths on a motorbike smashed his car windows at a petrol station in Jalan Kuching.

Michael Plascow, who is also a Malaysian permanent resident, was at a petrol station along Jalan Kuching at 6.30pm on Thursday and had "lightly sounded" his horn at two youths on a motorbike in front of him.

But shortly afterwards when he was facing the credit card machine at the fuelling bay, the two youths started to bash his car windows with a crowbar.

"It all happened in seconds, they smashed four of my windows and waved their hands in jubilation, jeering at me.

"They clearly enjoyed what they did and showed their triumph, then they rode off," Plascow told The Star.

Plascow, who owns a design company in Malaysia, said the attack was unprovoked and felt that the two boys were "out looking for fun".

"I was in a state of shock. I felt unsafe and very stressed out. I was sat down and offered a drink before I called the police, who were very helpful," he said.

 

However, the police weren't able to identify the motorbike's number plate or the assailants' features as the closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage quality was too poor.

The photos that Plascow took of the assailants on his mobile phone was also unclear.

"The petrol station didn't invest in decent cameras, which is strange because it is one of the busiest petrol stations on a busy road," he said, adding that police have "nothing much to go on" without the number plate or assailants' identities.

Plascow said that his Land Rover had four windows smashed, with damages amounting to RM5,000.

"In my 25 years living in Malaysia, I have never experienced any crime or vandalism," he said.

Plascow, who is married to a Malaysian and has four children, said that Malaysia is a "wonderful country" but incidents like this create a "bad image".

"The last thing you expect is to be attacked at a petrol station, but I have heard of cases like this before.

"You really have to be vigilant, with eyes everywhere," he added.