A Russian student who had to learn to talk again after he was set upon in broad daylight has described his attackers as evil, gutless and cowardly.
Alex, an international student at a Perth high school, was confronted by three people, one of which was carrying a metal pole, as he walked to Stirling Station in Innaloo between 3pm and 4pm on Saturday, July 26.
At the time, he had been in Perth for just six months.
"He was standing in front of me with this metal bar and he demanded my property, I refused to give it to him," he said.
"I looked away from him, I remembered the other two men could be behind me and they might hit me...I looked away from him and he hit me from behind, it was very gutless of him.
"I don't remember the actual hit, there was some impact and I fell over, I could see him when I was on the ground. The last thing I remember is he ran away.
Alex can only remember being struck once however doctors believe he was hit with the metal bar three times.
The attack left the then-16 year old in Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital for a month with a fractured skull which needed 18 staples.
He has had to learn to speak both Russian and English again, and while he said his physical injuries have healed, he is still undergoing rehabilitation.
"I wouldn't say I am fully recovered, happily enough I don't have any physical disabilities. I would say I do have these problems with my brain but it's only language, I need to recover English and Russian. When I was in the hospital, obviously I speak English and I remembered English before Russian. That was unusual."
His still recovering from neurological damage and is still struggling to come to terms with the unprovoked attack.
"I still don't understand how...he hit me three times. I fell over from one time. I didn't get how evil, how much animosity a person would have to keep hitting with a metal pole a person, another human being, in the head three more times.
"They are cowards, I feel really angry about the situation. He hit me from behind, that was gutless.
Alex said he will stay in Australia until he finishes Year 12.
Detective Senior Constable Justin Stern said police were still seeking witnesses to what he too described as a cowardly attack.
"His injuries were deemed life threatening at the time.
"We're looking for three dark-skinned males, believed to be between 16 to 25 years of age, but obviously due to his injuries the description is not great."
Anyone with information on this attack should call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
