the hospital and his doctors for the "second-to-none'' care he received after the summer attack. Mr. Robson was left paralysed on his right side and unable to speak, his mother Mrs. Carol Schmellick said.

Though he remains in a Canadian rehab, he has made marked progress, learning to walk with a cane and leg brace, she said. He has also learned to make some sounds and read and write.

The entire blade of a four-inch knife had been thrust into his left temple.

The attack occurred in the morning of July 19 outside Ice Queen, a popular late-night snack bar in Paget.

Mr. Robson spent ten days in King Edward Memorial VII Hospital's intensive care unit and a further 22 days in the Perry Ward.

"The medical attention and care Michael received was second-to-none,'' Mrs.

Schmellick said in a letter to The Royal Gazette . "The genuine concern and compassion showed were superb -- not only for Michael and our family, but also for the many friends and young people who visited him at King Edward.'' Mrs. Schmellick was especially grateful to Bermudian surgeon Dr. Terence Elliott.

Mr. Robson has been a patient at Nova Scotia Rehabilitation Centre in Halifax since August 21. He undergoes daily physio, occupational and speech therapy.

He has had some return in his right arm, Mrs. Schmellick noted. Randy Benjamin, 26, son of a former school headmaster, has been charged with attempted murder of Mr. Robson. He was not required to plead to the charge.