A mystery pensioner believed to have been vandalising a doctors’ surgery for more than two years has struck again, and this time came face-to-face with a receptionist.
Since November 2013 there have been more than 20 incidents of paint being thrown up the wall and on workers’ cars at Bay Tree Medical Centre, Collier Row Lane, Collier Row. Cars have also been keyed.
In November, the vandal was caught on CCTV keying cars in the driveway and throwing paint on them, but police were unable to trace him.
However, on December 17 a man was seen by a receptionist at the surgery.
She said: “I was looking at the camera. I saw a man walking away and thought he looked like the man from last time.
“I jumped up and phoned upstairs. I opened the door and saw red paint everywhere and knew it was him. He was just walking away.
“I ran across the road and got in front of him and shouted at him ‘what are you doing?’.
“He just growled at me and walked off. My partner is angry at me for not following him but it was dark and I was a bit scared.
“It was definitely the same man, about 65, not very tall.”
Police came but could not find the man, who walked down Rosedale Road towards the A12.
“The surgery looks like a murder scene with all the red paint on the front of it,” the receptionist added.
Dr Velautham Kuhan, who has owned the surgery with Dr Mazhar Mahmood since 1999, told the Recorder in November he believed the vandalism was targeted but had no idea why it was happening.
“Having your place of work covered in paint is not very nice,” said Dr Kuhan. “It seems very planned. It’s affected morale.”
Dr Kuhan said patients often wonder why paint is splattered across the front of the building, but after re-decorating it once and being attacked again within days, he and Dr Mahmood have decided not to bother until the culprit is caught.
If you have any information call 101 quoting 6956/03Nov.
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