The beleaguered driver at the centre of the S$10 petrol saga at Caltex Tampines has broken his silence.

Shin Min Daily News said on Monday that he has made a police report fearing danger may come to his young son.

SMDN reporter's encounter with the driver

SMDN ran an account of the reporter who visited the home of the BMW driver. When the reporter first visited the house asking about the driver, the person who answered the door said that there was no such person.

When the reporter went around to ask other residents about the driver, a person claiming to be the driver's neighbour confirmed that the driver did indeed live in the unit the reporter had visited.

The reporter then returned to that unit and found two police officers at the unit. The officers asked the reporter if the reporter was the one who first approached the unit. Turns out the family was spooked and thought that their home address was "CSI-ed" by online vigilantes and that the reporter turned up to "seek justice", so they called the police.

The SMDN reporter was subsequently allowed to interview the driver but only on the condition that the reporter not take photographs or voice recordings.

Attendant did not hear him correctly

Speaking to SMDN, the driver said he was planning to trade his car in at a dealership in Jurong. Thus he had planned to pump S$10 worth of petrol, just enough to cover the trip from Tampines to Jurong.

He told the petrol attendant, who looked to be in 60s, in Mandarin that he wanted to pump "10元" (S$10) worth of petrol.

When he got to the cashier he was surprised that the attendant had pumped a full tank's worth. He claimed to have asked the cashier if it was possible to extract out the extra petrol. The cashier then asked the pump attendant for an explanation.

The driver said that the attendant insisted that the driver had wanted a full tank. When the driver denied this, he claimed the attendant was adamant and raised his voice. The attendant then said, in a supposed dismissive tone, that he would cover the cost of the petrol and walked off. The driver said the cashier apologised to him.

The driver said he did not expect the attendant to pay for the difference.

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Co-worker defends petrol attendant

SMDN also interviewed one of the attendant's co-workers, who reportedly said the attendant, who worked at the station for the last 10 years, is a peace-loving person and it was not possible that he could have been rude to a customer.

The colleague also reportedly said business at the station on Saturday (the day of the incident) was brisk and there were many cars. The noise from the cars could have caused a breakdown in communication.

BMW driver now exploring legal options

The driver told SMDN that he is in sales and photographs of his face that have spread online has caused damage to his reputation and will affect his sales.

He said the lady who put up her account of what happened had not gotten his side of the story, adding that in his view, her post was defamatory. He is considering legal action.

There are also posts on social media which supposedly show the driver being harassed and revealing his mobile number:

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Top photo via Kelly Yeo's Facebook post