SUDBURY -- A northern Ontario man was ordered yesterday to be "nice" to his spouse once he gets out of jail for beating her. A judge ordered Zachary Fay to make regular, thoughtful gestures to his common-law spouse, such as sending flowers, taking her to the movies and going for walks together.

"I want you to do something nice . . . a minimum of once per week, once you're out of custody," Justice John Kukurin told Fay.

"You can go for a walk with her, you can take her to a movie, you can take her dancing, you can go to the mall. You haven't really been a good guy for a long period of time, so this is your chance to turn things around."

Fay, 23, was sentenced to eight months in jail after pleading guilty to assaulting his spouse and to destroying a telephone during an argument with her.

The judge's condition will remain in effect for two years, the entire time Fay is on probation. Fay must record the good deeds he does for his spouse and submit a quarterly report to his probation officer.