A mugger who avoided a prison sentence after the husband of the woman he assaulted and put into a coma forgave him in court was yesterday charged with breaching his probation.

Tyrone Sinclair Brangman pleaded guilty in 2003 to robbing and causing grievous bodily harm to 77-year-old Josie Ray outside the Southampton Post Office on February 7, 2003. As a result of the fall Mrs. Ray fell into a coma and died 19 months later.

The 2003 trial garnered much media attention and resulted in Brangman being sentenced to three years probation. He received the light sentence largely because Mrs. Ray's husband William (Cheese) Ray showed extreme compassion during the trial.

Brangman, who at the time of the trial was of no fixed abode despite being 16 years old, told Police he had stolen the purse because he was hungry.

The trial revealed that Brangman had a troubled past. A social inquiry report indicated he had been told to leave his home at a young age, and was living with a friend at the time of the crime. During the course of the proceedings it was also revealed that the family had tried to place the teenager in a home for troubled boys due to his behaviour and a marijuana habit which began when he was eight years old.

During sentencing, Mr. Ray said: "I don't feel bitterness or hatred towards the defendant. He left home at 13. No boy who has a decent home leaves home at 13.

"He didn't know that she was on blood thinners at the time," he added, referring to the fact that Mrs. Ray's medication aggravated the head injuries she received in the robbery.

Brangman, who pleaded guilty, told Puisne Judge Charles-Etta Simmons that mugging the elderly lady was "the biggest mistake of my life".

"I pray every night that God helps Mrs. Ray to get better and for her family," he said. "I can understand how they feel but I ask for their forgiveness."

It was also revealed that soon after his arrest he had written a letter to the Ray family apologising for their actions.

Acting Justice Charles-Etta Simmons said sentencing Brangman was very difficult because he had committed a violent crime, which had horrible repercussions, but incarcerating him would not benefit anyone.

At the time of sentencing he had already spent nearly six months on jail and told the court his stint at the Co-Ed Facility had made a "big impact" on his life.

In light of the time spent in jail already, Mr. Ray's compassionate statements and the defendant's personal history Ms. Simmons chose to place him on probation for three years. The judge said he would have a 9.30 p.m. curfew for the first year of his probation and have to abstain from using drugs and alcohol for the entire three years. He was also ordered to meet frequently with a probation officer.

At the time of his sentence Mr. Ray told the Royal Gazette: " Some people will expect him to fail. And he now has a double burden. He has committed a terrible crime and now owes a responsibility not only to Mrs. Ray but to her whole family. He must not let them down."

Yesterday Brangman admitted that he has not seen his probation officer since September and occasionally dabbled in marijuana but maintained that he had sorted out his life.

"It's only recently that I haven't met my probation officer," he said. "I have been working, I have a job. I have been good for the last three years. I am slowing down on smoking weed and I have been working hard to stay out of trouble and doing what I need to do."

Senior Magistrate Archibald Warner explained that because it was a Supreme Court order he breached he would have to be dealt with in the higher court. He released him on a $2,000 bail.

He will appear tomorrow at the March arraignments session.