'I WANT JUSTICE': Chased with machetes, shot in the back and left for dead in Honduras Joe was living the dream on Hoatan before the shooting. Joe O'Donnell learns to walk again. Joe O'Donnell shot in the back in Honduras Bullet hit his spine, attack left him paralysed Sydney man, 42, now fighting for justice JOE O'Donnell is still looking for justice after a violent attack on him nearly 18 months ago in Honduras left him mostly paralysed. The 42-year-old was shot in the spine and left for dead on a crowded street in Roatan, an island off mainland Honduras, on August 19, 2011 - seven weeks after a dispute over where he parked his bicycle. Now, nearly 18 months on, Mr O'Donnell is fighting a legal battle from Sydney to seek to ensure the accused is sent to jail. The drama began when Mr O'Donnell was harassed by a married couple who owned a scuba diving shop, seemingly, because he'd parked his bike in the wrong spot. Oblivious to the offence he'd caused and with an elementary grasp on Spanish, Mr O'Donnell grabbed his bike and ran from the pair who allegedly charged at him with wooden planks, as their extended family chased him down the street with machetes. But seven weeks later he ran into the man and within a matter of minutes he was an instant paraplegic. He waited out the front of the shop. I followed the owner out and this guy has pulled out a gun," he told news.com.au. I tried to run but he shot me from a metre away, straight into my back, at lunchtime in the middle of the street in front of dozens of witnesses. Currently, Mr O'Donnell's accused attacker is on house arrest after he appealed the charge of attempted murder. He reportedly plans to argue self-defence on a lesser charge of assault. There's a problem: the case has been backed up for months and months, and the onus is essentially on Mr O'Donnell and his legal team to press the issue. International law expert David Caruso says Honduras' public office for prosecutions, the Ministerio Publico, is charged with handling cases as it sees fit. Joe O'Donnell holds up the bullet that changed his life. "It may be that... the prosecution has decided to handle the case in a particular way with which the victim's family does not agree," he told news.com.au. In such a case, the family would need to pursue independent action, however the scope for doing so is limited. Now Mr O'Donnell is in Sydney, the other side of the globe, barely able to walk, wondering whether he'll ever get closure. "It (the case) keeps getting delayed and delayed, it's been nearly 18 months," he said. Mr O'Donnell says he has struggled to find a lawyer to take up his case. The surgery to repair Joe O'Donnell's spine left a huge scar running up his stomach. "Something needs to be done soon because eventually the case will be closed if nothing happens and he'll get off scot-free," he said. Mr O'Donnell swapped life in Sydney for the tropics of Roatan and was loving it. He lived a simple and carefree life in a sleepy town. No trouble. No worries. He was starting up a scuba diving business to bring in some cash in addition to the bar work which occupied him a few nights a week. I was really happy there. It was a little laidback town and I really enjoyed it," he said. But the sea-change dream became a nightmare after a seemingly innocuous brush with some locals turned into a horror show. "I was completely paralysed initially," Mr O'Donnell added. I'm a paraplegic but my left leg's come back pretty good so I can walk. I have bowel and bladder problems, sexual problems and one paralysed leg still. Soon he will try and get back to work. The problem is, he can't seem to make any progress with his case. Justice for Joe sign held up in Roatan, Honduras. After the first lawyer dropped out, help has been extremely tough to come by. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has a limited responsibility on behalf of the Government and cannot provide legal advice, investigate crimes overseas or provide translation services. A media spokesperson told news.com.au there was nothing DFAT can do for Mr O'Donnell. The Australian embassy in Mexico, which has responsibility for Honduras, offered him some assistance, but he's run into a dead end of sorts. Mr O'Donnell feels stuck. Lawyers of friends have looked into it but it's hard to get any concrete information about anything. I know the case is still open at the moment," he said. I think I've got a couple of lawyers looking into it - I don't know if they're my actual lawyers or not. I can't contact them directly because my Spanish isn't so good. While his focus is on justice and getting his life back on track, Mr O'Donnell is understandably bitter. Joe O'Donnell receives a visit in hospital from Eels players Reni Maitua and Nathan Hindmarsh. In a series of personal and honest Facebook posts, Mr O'Donnell has detailed his long and painful recovery; the painkillers, his sexual dysfunction, learning to walk. He says he thinks about his attacker "every time I s*** myself or can't have sex." He dreams about seeing him go to prison. "He's robbed me of a full quality of life," he said. I was really sporty and active but now I can't play sport, I can't dance, I can't do a lot of the things I used to do. He's robbed me a lot of choices, I guess, in life.