The London-based electrician, Ahmed Hadi, 47, says his passport was confiscated by the courts after an incident in which he left his vehicle in a Penang car park for a brief 10 minutes on December 7 during a family visit.
Nevertheless, eight weeks after the incident, Ahmed's passport – taken as part of his bail conditions – remains in the court's possession, leaving him in a state of limbo.
Feeling trapped and with no one in sight to approach, Ahmed resorted to lifting the plastic barrier to depart the car park, inadvertently damaging it in the process.
Lucy had to pay nearly $3,000 (£2,425.41) for bail sponsors and legal fees to release Ahmed, whose passport was seized by the court.
Ahmed later received a call from the police, leading to a two-hour interrogation at the station and subsequent arrest for damaging the barrier.
