received a suspended sentence yesterday.

Marvin Lambe -- who is currently at the Westgate Correctional Facility for unrelated matters -- appeared before Magistrate Edward King to face charges of unlawful assault and grievous bodily harm.

Crown counsel Caitlin Garland told the court Lambe was helping a stores officer to dispense clothing on April 8 when the brief scuffle occurred.

According to the prison officer's report, another inmate began to complain after receiving the wrong size underwear.

But Lambe refused to change the clothing and a shouting match erupted.

At some point shortly after the officer tried to resolve the dispute by changing the underwear, Lambe fractured the second man's nose with a head butt.

However, yesterday Lambe refuted the officer's report.

"The officer wasn't even there,'' he said. "He didn't even see what happened.'' Lambe said he was forced to retaliate after the second inmate began to assault him.

And he maintained he chose to plead guilty because he could not afford a lawyer and had been refused legal aid while in prison.

Mr. King ordered a six-month prison sentence be suspended for two years.

"The ball is in your court now. Keep it there,'' he told Lambe. "Because if you knock it back over, you're going to be back in court. It's time to change.''