A Jasper man received an 18-month suspended sentence after pleading guilty to an attack in which he broke another man’s nose and jaw.

Judge Vaughn Myers issued a stern warning to Norman Leslie Miller along with the sentence, under which Miller will serve no jail time as long as he abides by a list of court-ordered conditions.

“You got a break today,” Myers told Miller. “Please don’t burn it.”

The case stems from an early-morning incident on Oct. 2, 2010. The court heard that, at about 2:45 a.m. that day, the victim was walking in Jasper when Miller approached him and started hitting him.

Laurie Rodger, acting as defence counsel, characterized the incident as the culmination of a dispute between the two men and said Miller had no intention of causing such severe injuries.

“There was certainly some bad blood between these two,” he told the judge. “He (Miller) was under the influence of alcohol at the time.”

“He’s a big guy, obviously,” Rodger added, pointing towards Miller, who stood next to him at well over six feet tall. “He didn’t certainly intend to cause any fractures.”

For his part, Miller admitted to the attack, but described it as “a momentary lapse” in judgment that won’t happen again.

“I’d just like to apologize for everything that I’ve done,” he told the courtroom.

“That’s a pretty savage beating, if you break someone’s jaw,” the judge replied.

Myers agreed to the suspended sentence after hearing that Miller has been a “model citizen” since entering his guilty plea for the assault.

“Mr. Miller is a resident of Jasper. He works in the hospitality industry,” Rodger told the judge. “He is very well thought of by his employers.”

The Crown agreed that an 18-month suspended sentence would be appropriate. For the duration of that time, Miller must agree to keep the peace and have no contact with the victim, among other requirements. The judge also ordered that he submit a sample of his DNA to the RCMP and issued a three-year weapons prohibition.

“I hope, sir, that this is a one-off,” Myers said as he handed down the sentence.