The 56-year-old South San Francisco man prosecutors say bit off his wife’s bottom lip after she called him a short man and shoved aside the teenage daughter who tried intervening has been found competent to stand trial by doctors at the state mental hospital where he’s been committed the past year.

Akano Nzerem returned from Napa State Hospital and appeared in San Mateo County Superior Court Thursday morning to reinstate criminal charges. He faces felony charges of domestic violence, mayhem, false imprisonment, battery, criminal threats and misdemeanor counts of violating a court order and child endangerment.

Nzerem’s return to San Mateo County comes just more than a year after he was transported to Napa State Hospital and nearly three years after he allegedly attacked his wife.

On Jan. 24, 2007, Nzerem’s wife of 17 years told police he punched her repeatedly and threw a bottle because she told a friend he was acting strangely. Their 16-year-old daughter — one of six children in the family — tried stepping between them but was reportedly tossed aside. Nzerem then allegedly grabbed his wife in a bear hug and bit off her lip.

Doctors tried re-attaching the lip but it didn’t take and left her with a large hole on her mouth, Chief Deputy District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said at the time.

After his arrest, Nzerem reportedly told police he had to bite her lip off because she called him a short man and attacked him, according to the District Attorney’s Office.

At the time, Nzerem was on probation for a previous misdemeanor conviction for domestic violence.

In January 2008, two court-appointed doctors deemed Akano Nzerem unable to aid in his own defense. Competency is a person’s ability to aid in their own defense while sanity refers to their state of mind at the time of the alleged crime.

Nzerem was hospitalized in September 2008 and remained there and until doctors believed competency was restored.

During his criminal proceedings, Nzerem’s wife stood by her husband and discounted police reports of his pushing their daughter. At court appearances, she said the extent of her injuries has been exaggerated by authorities and the arrest cost him his job as a pharmacy technician at San Francisco General Hospital.

During yesterday’s hearing, Nzerem was ordered back to court Dec. 8 for a pretrial conference followed by a jury trial Dec. 28. Nzerem also has an appearance Nov. 24 to discuss his bail, said Assistant District Attorney Karen Guidotti.

Michelle Durand can be reached by e-mail: michelle@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344-5200 ext. 102.