Two years ago, doctors told Stephen Taylor he would be paralysed for life after he was viciously attacked and left for dead in an Oxford alleyway.

Stephen Taylor walking againHis attacker stamped on his head and left him in a pool of blood. Stephen was in a coma for a month and a half and when he regained consciousness was told he would never walk again.

But Stephen, 20, of Barton Village Road, Barton, Oxford, refused to accept the diagnosis.

Thanks to hundreds of hours of physiotherapy, and steely determination, the former BMX rider has progressed from a wheelchair, to a zimmer frame, to a stick -- and now to his own two feet.

Stephen has recently been able to stride out unaided and has walked to the end of his road and back.

The 20-year-old, who still relies on a wheelchair to get around for most of the time, said a desire to go out with his friends again drove him to succeed.

"It's an amazing feeling, but there is still a long way to go. I want to be able to drive one day and ride a bike by myself again."

Stephen was attacked in an alleyway off Barton Village Road on the evening of Sunday, September 14, 2003, by Lee Davies, 20, also of Barton Village Road.

Davies jumped repeatedly on Stephen's head. He was jailed for six and a half years in August 2004.

Before the attack, Stephen had been a keen BMX biker and he now hopes that one day he will be able to ride a bike again.

His progress so far has been hailed as incredible by Prof Udo Kischka, consultant in neurological rehabilitation at the Oxford Centre for Enablement who has been treating Stephen since the start of his rehabilitation.

He said: "He is an example of somebody who was at death's door and is coming through with the will to live and to get better.

"I am enormously pleased that Steve is doing so well and clearly his determination plays a big part."

Stephen spends two days a week at the Nuffield Orthapaedic Centre, where he is receiving ongoing treatment.

He is also receiving carpentry training and goes once a week to Oxrad sports centre with his father Geoffrey McCormack.

His mum Linda said: "When Stephen came out of the coma the doctors said they did not expect him to be doing anything again, but he has proved them wrong.

"The physiotherapists give him a goal and he achieves it before the target date. He is just so determined to do it."

Stephen said he has made huge progress in the last few months. As well as walking, he can now shower without assistance, pour drink into a bottle and use an electric shaver. Linda added: "It's just incredible, I am really happy because now he can go out and do things without me worrying so much."

The injuries Stephen suffered mainly affected the right hand side of his body and he now has a splint fitted on his right foot to give it a bit more strength and help with balance.

Stephen added: "I'm a bit more positive about things now. Every now and then I get angry, but that just makes me more determined."