Thayaparan Parthipan, owner of Bowerhill Post Office & Stores A SHOP owner attacked by a man wielding a knife has started a petition urging the community to support him against local yobs.

Thayaparan Parthipan, owner of Bowerhill Post Office & Stores, in Dowding Way, launched the petition after a man with a three-inch knife asked him if he wanted to "see blood".

The 33-year-old already has scores of signatures and said he will move away unless the community supports him.

He claims the attacker, in his early 20s and of African or mixed origin, walked into his shop early on Saturday afternoon with a young boy, aged about 12.

His colleague Suresh Karupiah was serving behind the counter when the man came in and tried to distract him while the boy stole a bottle of rum off the shelf.

The shop assistant searched the boy but the older man became aggressive and Mr Karupiah called Mr Parthipan, who was upstairs where he lives with his wife and young son.

Mr Parthipan rushed downstairs and saw the man behind the counter.

He said: "I asked him to come out from behind the counter but he didn't so I called 999.

"He told me to put the phone down and came round and pushed me.

"Then he put his hand on my chest and said 'Do you want to see blood?'"

Mr Parthipan, in his fear, picked up a stool and shook it at the armed man, who took out his 3-inch blade and threatened the shop owner with it.

"Then the police siren came and he ran unto a neighbour's house," said Mr Parthipan.

He claims the police, with the help of a helicopter, tracked the man down, with a group of friends, but said they could not take the investigation any further because he did not have a knife at the time.

Mr Parthipan said: "This man threatened me. Tomorrow it could be my family or someone else.

"Why should I put up with this kind of thing?

"I'm serving the community and if the community is not going to back me on this I will leave"

He said yobs often gathered in the park outside his shop late in the evenings and many other shopkeepers had sold up and moved away.

He plans to present his petition to his local MP and the police and is seeking legal advice.

No-one from the police was available to comment before the Wiltshire Times went to press yesterday afternoon.