A young Englishman who literally lost half his head after an alleged attack at a pub in New Zealand is now struggling to recover in a mental health facility, and his parents want answers.

More than a year after the incident, Josh Storer's alleged attacker can now be named.

Thomas Louis Nathan, 56, has pleaded not guilty to one charge of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

Storer had a good job, great friends and was "living the dream" when everything changed on July 9, 2021 at a bar in Albany, Auckland.

The alleged assault left the 26-year-old in a coma with traumatic brain injuries.

Doctors had to remove the right half of his skull to save his life.

For a while, only skin and a black helmet protected his injured brain until doctors were able to insert an artificial skull panel to reconstruct his head in a second operation.

Dawn and Ian Storer visiting son Josh in a UK hospital earlier this year. Photo / Supplied

He flew home to the UK to continue his recovery late last year and life has been difficult since, his parents Ian and Dawn told Open Justice over a video call from their Derby home on Wednesday.

In February, Storer was sectioned at a secure mental health hospital to keep him safe - from himself.

The injury caused damage to Storer's frontal lobe, the part of the brain that controls emotions, reasoning and impulsivity.

He could be his 26-year-old self for an hour, and become like a teenager the next minute.

"If something went against him he could be very impulsive and very angry straight away, like a child," Ian said.

Therapy is focused on helping Storer relearn his emotions and how to manage them, but it is taking time because he is in denial about the extent of his injury.

Dawn said, "His brain is telling him there's nothing wrong with him. He doesn't believe he should be in a hospital."

Josh Storer was on a work visa in New Zealand when he was allegedly assaulted at an Auckland pub. Photo / Supplied

It has taken a toll on the whole family. Ian had a nervous breakdown recently and has been seeing a psychologist for post-traumatic stress disorder, preventing him from working for weeks at a time.

"We're all struggling to cope," he said.

The specialist brain hospital where Storer is a patient is in Bristol and the couple only get to see their son once a fortnight for an hour, provided he is well enough to see them.

"You can drive two and a half hours to Bristol, book a hotel for the night and the hospital says Joshua has had a really bad day or week, and we can't allow you to visit today," Ian said.

The family still has little idea about the events leading up to their son's injury and is frustrated the court process has dragged on for more than a year.

For now, the couple take comfort that their son is in one of the best brain hospitals in the UK.
His full recovery is up in the air but one thing is clear - he wants to return to New Zealand and pick up where he left off.

"He's desperate to come back," Ian said.

Whether he will be able to is uncertain.