Theam, flanked by wife Linda Khoo and daughter Jacqueline, speaks to Lim. — Picture by Malay Mail

GEORGE TOWN, Dec 4 — A 52-year-old businessman has claimed that he was attacked by a parking attendant, who was operating illegally, after he refused to pay him at a free carpark in Bukit Bendera.

Theam Ah Soon had parked his car and was walking to the Penang Hill lower station at 6pm on Monday when a man, aged between 20 and 30, approached him on a motorcycle and asked him for payment.

Theam said he told the man it was a free carpark and pointed to a banner saying so.

“While I was walking away, he shouted at me,” he told a press conference yesterday.

“I told him the banner said it was a free carpark and asked him why I should pay.”

Theam said the man asked him to get out if he refused to pay, which led to an argument.

“Suddenly, he swung his helmet at me three to four times causing me to black out,” he said, adding that there were no witnesses as the area was secluded.

“The next thing I knew was an ambulance was already there to take me to hospital.”

Theam suffered injuries to his head, chest, eye and hand.

“I gave a statement to the police at the hospital and was told the man has been picked up,” he said.

Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, who was at the press conference, said illegal parking attendants had previously taken advantage of the parking lot and collected money from car owners.

“To ensure there was no misunderstanding, we put up a banner saying parking was free there,” he said.

“It is unfortunate that Theam had been attacked and suffered injuries.”

Lim said the state had been facing the problem of illegal parking attendants for some time and urged police to act.

He said he would speak to Penang police chief Datuk Abdul Rahim Hanafi.

Northeast district police chief ACP Mior Faridalathrash Wahid said police detained the man on Tuesday.