A Scot beaten unconscious in Melbourne has spoken to STV about the horror attack that left him 'left for dead' outside his home.

Euan Fraser was beaten unconscious on his doorstep leaving him with a bleed on the brain following what he thought was a harmless discussion about religion with a taxi driver in June 2017.

The 30-year-old told STV: "As soon as I got into the cab, the guy asked if I was Greek, or Cypriot. He asked if I was Greek Orthodox.

"I said no, and he said, 'okay, what religion are you?'

"I said, 'well, I'm an atheist', and he just went off on one.

"He started preaching about his Muslim beliefs and I said to him, 'that's fine - you're entitled to your own beliefs, but I don't believe in any god'."

Euan said the driver then "lost his cool" and began shouting at him.

He added: "I noticed he was taking a strange route home, which I later found out was to avoid CCTV cameras."

After reaching Euan's home, the Scot got out of the taxi and was opening his gate when he heard a noise from behind him.

"As I turned round he smacked me over the head with what I think was a crowbar," he recalls.

"That knocked me out and then he attacked me on the ground.

"I woke up about five minutes later with blood everywhere. I'd never seen so much blood, to be honest."

Euan managed to get into his house, where he called friends and ordered an Uber to the nearest hospital.

He said: "I had bones broken in my neck, shoulders and ribs. Then I had a bleed on my brain, which caused my speech to go."

The architecture student, who was working on a farm in Australia at the time of the attack, has suffered serious after-effects from his ordeal.

"It's affected me in every way. I've not worked since. I'm at university now but I struggle to concentrate," he said.

"My memory's not like it used to be. I just forget things

"Sleep is a big thing. I get bad nightmares, flashbacks. I wake up during the night screaming, shouting.

"I'll relive the event and I'll get guilty and think it was my fault."

Police investigated but have yet to trace the taxi driver. A spokesman said the investigation is still ongoing.

Euan said: "He's still out there. I just think the police failed me, to be honest."