VICIOUS thugs who punched this man so hard he was left with HALF A HEAD have got off scot free.
Horrified Steve Gator had to have the front of his skull removed by stunned surgeons after his head was smashed against a pavement in the sickening attack.
And now the 26-year-old has been told that the teen attackers who disfigured him will escape justice after his case was dropped.
Steve, of Romford, Essex, was attacked after confronting one of the yobs who had been taunting him about his cousin.
Another of the violent louts hit him so hard that he was sent flying and struck his head on the path.
Steve plunged into a coma for two weeks as his shattered mum and distraught family kept a bedside vigil at Queen's Hospital, Romford.
His brain quickly began swelling and surgeons were forced to remove the front half of his skull just hours after he was admitted.
Grief-stricken mum Nina Gator was warned her son had just a terrifying 15 per cent chance of survival.
Two days later cops charged a pair of teenage boys with the savage attack which shocked the neighbourhood.
Steve, who has had to quit his job, was left seriously brain damaged and now suffers frequent seizures, has difficulty talking, and his memory is seriously impaired.
Mrs Gator, who is his main carer, last night blasted the shock move.
The 47-year-old said: "I can't believe it. Everyone is entitled to their day in court."
CPS lawyers claim they needed more proof before going ahead with the case.
But Mrs Gator stormed: "Our boy is walking around with half a head - what more evidence do they need?
"His sparkle is totally gone. He used to be so independent but he can't work any more and he can't drive."
She added: "He's got half a head and he's completely lost his confidence.
"There's absolutely nothing protecting his brain now it's just under his skin."