THE FAMILY of a Keighley teacher left in a coma following a brutal assault in Thailand has appealed against the decision to acquit his alleged attacker.

Adam Pickles’ parents have lodged an appeal with the Thai Government asking for the decision to be overturned.

The 42-year-old was attacked in the Thai resort of Pattaya almost three years ago while in the country teaching English.

The married father-of-one is now recovering at a York respite centre where his family said he was making slow but hopeful progress.

British expat Sean Henry Tinsley, of Wolverhampton, was accused of striking Adam with an iron bar. The road rage attack in May 2012 is believed to have been triggered by an incident in which a car was scraped.

Following the court case last year, Adam‘s parents, Andrew and Adele, spent several months waiting as the verdict was repeatedly delayed. In September Mr Tinsley was acquitted.

Mr Pickles has since been working with his legal team to put together an appeal against the court judgement.

He said: “It became obvious that the only way to get the job done properly was to fly out to Thailand and work with our lawyers in person to ensure everything was in order and all the information was available to the panel of judges.”

Mr Pickles said he had to frequently travel between Bangkok and Pattaya, and he needed time to understand the Thai legal process.

He added: "With our team of lawyers and the help of an interpreter/translator we completed all the documents and I handed them over in person to the court.

"We got confirmation that the court have accepted the appeal so it will go ahead."

Mr Pickles said he did not know how long the appeal would take.

He added: "Adam is improving slowly but we’re cautious about that. There are increasing signs of alertness, but there’s still lots of time when he’s not alert.

"There’s still a very long way to go. It will certainly be months. He still needs 24/7 care."

Following the attack Adam, a former Bradford Grammar School student, was flown back to the UK and spent six months at the Royal Hospital for Neurodisability in London before being transferred to Woodlands Respite Care Centre in York, close to his parents’ home in Thorner.

In 2013 his father's band, John's Follower, reunited for a charity gig and raised £1,590 towards Adam's care.