A controversial Brooklyn judge who weighed handing a gangbanger a slap-on-the-wrist deal in an attempted murder case settled on a stiffer penalty Wednesday following The Post’s report on the case.

But Acting Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Laura Johnson still refused to send admitted gunman Donte Simpson to jail until he is officially sentenced in the May 2021 shooting that left a 17-year-old boy paralyzed for life.

It came after Simpson pleaded guilty to attempted murder, assault, and a pair of gun charges, in exchange for a promised sentence of seven-to-10 years behind bars, during the hearing Wednesday.

Johnson had previously considered a sentence of just five years, according to law enforcement sources. Simpson — a reputed member of the violent street gang “Focus On Paper” — just had to write a letter expressing remorse, the sources said.

But in court Wednesday, Johnson instead promised the lengthier prison term — as long as Simpson stays out of trouble and shows up in court before his sentencing in March.

That’s still far short of the 40 years Simpson could have been sentenced to had he been convicted at trial — and the 15-year sentence that the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office had been seeking in the case.

Following the guilty plea, Assistant District Attorney Salima Labeb asked the judge to remand Simpson into custody until his sentencing.

“You have delivered a serious sentence and he is a flight risk,” she argued.

Johnson bluntly denied the request.

“I will not do that,” the judge said. “He is currently being monitored electronically by the sheriff’s office and he has shown up to all of his court appearances on time.”

Simpson, meanwhile, sat stone-faced for much of the hearing, speaking only when answering the judge’s questions.

He admitted he fired the gun during the May 11, 2021, shooting in Crown Heights “with the intent to kill.”

Simpson was arrested in September 2021 for opening fire on a street in the neighborhood, striking the teen in the neck. It doesn’t appear that the boy was the intended victim, according to sources.

The victim is “never going to be the same,” Labeb told the court Wednesday, adding, “He is going to be in a wheelchair for the rest of his life.”

The promise of a harsher sentence came as welcome news to Delores Myers, the teen’s grandmother — although she said it’s still just not enough.

“I feel a lot better,” Myers told The Post Wednesday. “I said put it in God’s hand and God is gonna give him what he deserves.”

But, she added, “some justice is not enough justice for me.”

Simpson’s next hearing is March 6. He has been out free on a $350,000 bond in the case since last November, according to court records and sources.

Judge Jessica Earle-Gargan set the amount, although prosecutors had asked for a $500,000 bail or $1 million bond in the case.

Last month, Johnson, who took over the case, discussed “the submission” with prosecutors and Simpson’s lawyers, saying it “is not part of the court record” — an apparent reference to the alleged secret letter, according to the sources.

Johnson drew the ire of New York’s Finest in 2014 when she freed a reputed gangbanger who threatened cops.

Then-Mayor Bill de Blasio drew more heat when he reappointed Johnson to the bench.

In a statement Wednesday, the Legal Aid Society, which represents Simpson, noted that he is not a flight risk and has consistently shown up at his court appearances.

“Throughout this case, Donte Simpson — who has no conviction record — has fully complied with all court orders, including house arrest, electronic monitoring, and programming,” the statement said.

“Mr. Simpson fully understands the gravity of this plea and, from the onset, has worked to address a myriad of long-term and complex personal issues underlying the serious charges pending against him,” it said.