The beggar who gained notoriety for living in a £300,000 town house while he begged in Putney High Street has been ordered to do unpaid work by magistrates.

Simon Wright, 37, was rumbled in June when police officers arrested him after he was caught begging outside NatWest bank (below) - he was handed an Asbo banning him completely from the SW15 area and from begging anywhere in the capital.

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Wright's story provoked nationwide anger because it quickly emerged he had also been accruing almost £50,000 per year by convincing the public to part with their hard-earned cash.

Following his initial court appearance in May, it was revealed he lived in a plush two-bed maisonette in Sporle Court, in Fulham High Street (below).

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Last month, police officers caught him begging again in Leicester Square (below), clearly in breach of his Asbo and he faced the prospect of jail.

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But at Hammersmith Magistrates Court Wright ranted at court officials, banging his fists on the dock and claiming he was too sick to complete his unpaid work because he suffered from epilepsy and asthma.

Although he was also handed a 12-month community order and supervision order, he managed to narrowly avoid a prison sentence.