A north London shopkeeper who came to the UK for a better life today spoke of his terror after a hammer-wielding thug vandalised his coffee kiosk.
Paramalingam Mathievanan had challenged a man urinating in the street near his kiosk in South Harrow Market when the suspect become threatening and abusive.
Minutes later he returned and smashed the windows of the shop with a hammer, swinging the weapon at Mr Mathievanan before fleeing on a bicycle.
Detectives are appealing for information about the attack on June 6 after footage of the incident was shared widely on social media.
Mr Mathievanan, 43, who fled Sri Lanka 20 years ago to escape the country’s bloody civil war, said he had moved to London “to save my life”.
But today he told the Standard: "I don't feel safe here anymore….I came to the UK for peace. Nothing like this has ever happened to me."
Recalling what happened after he asked the man not to urinate near his shop, the father-of-three said: "The man said 'I will be back in two minutes with a hammer and smash your window'.
"A customer came along, so I was making a coffee, and then I heard a shout - one window was smashed and then the other as well.
The video footage shows a bald white man in a puffer jacket approach the kiosk and smash the window in front of a terrified customer.
Mr Mathievanan said: "I went outside to confront him and he showed me the hammer. I tried to get my phone to take a picture but he got on a bike and left.
"If he had hit me, I would have died. It was a strong hit when he hit the window."
The incident, which caused £300 of damage, has left Mr Mathievanan shaken. He said: "If somebody makes a banging noise, my heart goes crazy."
But the businessman, who moved to South Harrow in 2005 and opened Coogi Kaap in June last year, said he has been blown away by the support from the local community.
He said: "People have been giving me £5 or £10 to help pay for the repairs - I've got £35 so far, that really helps.
"I'm still at the shop every day, even though the windows are boarded up. I don't want to disappoint my customers.
"I'm looking to buy better glass. It's a small coffee shop, so I was lucky - I was making a coffee at the time, but if I was by the window, it would have gone right in my face when he smashed it."
Scotland Yard said no arrests have been made and an investigation is ongoing.
