Wellington couple’s night out turns to tragedy after alleged attack by two men

A couple’s first night out since the birth of their daughter ended in horror, after an alleged attack by two men “came out of nowhere”.

The couple’s first night out since their daughter was born ended in tragedy. Picture: Give a Little NZ

A New Zealand couple’s first time out since the birth of their daughter turned to horror after an alleged late-night attack in Wellington.

On July 30, Nick Crosby and Renee Hunter were out with his brother and sister-in-law, enjoying their first time out since becoming parents as their five-month-old daughter Ellie-Grace was being looked after by her grandma.

But everything changed when the couple from Waikanae, 60km from Wellington, went to get a taxi home in the early hours of Sunday morning, New Zealand Herald reports.

Mr Crosby was allegedly attacked by two men, leaving him fighting for life in hospital.

Now on the long road to recovery, he said of the attack: “It came out of nowhere.”

Mr Crosby was left severely injured after he was allegedly attacked by two men. Picture: Givealittle NZ

Ms Hunter said the sound of his head hitting the concrete was one she “will never forget”.

“It was awful,” she said.

Following the alleged attack, the new dad suffered repeated seizures on the road, in the pouring rain, while police, ambulance officers and his partner did everything they could to keep him alive.

He was resuscitated twice, put in an induced coma to reduce swelling on his brain, and spent three days in intensive care in Wellington Hospital.

After being discharged, Mr Crosby is now happy to be home.

He’s still experiencing regular shakes, and his speech and body movements have slowed, but he is determined to do everything he can to aid his recovery.

“I’ll slowly get back to normal but it will take a while,” Mr Crosby said.

“They [doctors] can’t believe he is where he is now,” Ms Hunter said. “He is doing really well.”

Mr Crosby owns a home maintenance business and is hoping to get back to work in a couple of months. Picture: Facebook

New Zealand’s accident compensation scheme has given the property maintenance business owner a goal of “slowly looking at getting back to work by October 18”.

The situation has put financial pressure on the family, but they’re thankful to people who have donated more than $9000 to help ease those worries.

“With people being so kind and helpful, it relieves those tears and frustrations for us,” Mr Crosby said.

“There’s been awesome love and support from family, friends and the community,” he said. “It has been quite overwhelming.”

“It’s just the anger we’re trying not to hold on to,” Ms Hunter said. “Whenever I think about what happened too much, I feel angry.”

Following the alleged attack, two men have appeared in Wellington District Court charged with intentionally causing grievous bodily harm.

Both in their early 20s, from Porirua in New Zealand’s North Island, the men did not enter pleas when they appeared in court.

They were granted bail, under conditions, and are to reappear in court on August 18.

This article originally appeared on the New Zealand Herald and has been republished with permission