A man has been sent to prison for fracturing a fellow gymgoer’s skull after smashing a 20kg weight into his head - before faking that it was a 'tripping' accident.
Shane William Ryan, has been jailed for 19 months after the “disturbing and motiveless attack” was captured on video.
In the CCTV footage, the 33-year-old can be seen carrying the heavy weight through the free weights section of the Next Level Gym, local outlet NTNews reports.
Footage shows the victim pumping away on his bench press - completely unaware of the devastating injuries he was about to sustain.
As Ryan, who lives near Darwin, Australia, moved towards him, he pretends to trip and lunges towards him - smashing the weight into his face at an extreme speed.
Footage shows the man in agony - clutching his blood-covered face after falling to the floor, according to Mirror Online.
But Ryan is then seen skulking off from the scene of his horrific crime - pretending to have injured his ankle in the trip.
Ryan leaves the victim alone for a number of minutes before returning to call an ambulance.
The victim was known to Ryan and they were said to have an “amicable” and “friendly” relationship, reports say.
The vicious attack left the man with a fractured skull, a cut on his eyebrow, and facial swelling.
He was also left with “significant and ongoing” pyschological issues after the October 2020 assault.
Justice John Burns presiding said he had not seen evidence of any “significant premeditation or planning” in Ryan’s case.
Ryan at first maintained that the attack was “accidental” - but later accepted he had acted deliberately.
Justice Burns told Ryan: “The victim was vulnerable as he was lying on his back and had weights in his hands, he was unable to protect himself.
“He also had no reason to believe that you would attack him as you did.
“The lack of an obvious motive for you to have engaged in this offence is troubling.
“Where there is obvious motive for an offence it is often possible to assess the likelihood of the offender reoffending.
“That is simply not possible in circumstances where there is no obvious motive and you have chosen not to shed any light on that issue.”
Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond - Sign up to our daily newsletter here.
