A man who caused horrific injuries after slamming a 20kg weight on a fellow gymgoer's head has been jailed.
Shocking CCTV footage of the incident at a gym near Darwin almost 18 months ago has emerged after Shane William Ryan, 33, pleaded guilty in the Supreme Court on the day his trial was due to begin.
The court heard the two men were working out at the Next Level Gym in the Palmerston suburb of Rosebery, south-east of Darwin, early one morning in October 2020.
CCTV played in court shows Ryan picking up a 20kg plate and walking towards the victim lying on a bench on his back lifting dumbbells.
CCTV footage has emerged of the shocking moment Shane William Ryan dropped a 20kg weight on a fellow gymgoer near Darwin. He was sentenced to 19 months jail on Monday
He lunged towards the victim and dropped the weight on fellow gymgoer's head, causing the victim to fall to the ground.
Ryan appears to have injured his ankle and walks away as the victim sits on the floor in agony clutching his face and head, which were bleeding.
He eventually returned to the man to help him and call an ambulance, the court heard.
The injured man suffered a fractured skull, a cut to his eyebrow, swelling to his face and 'significant and ongoing' psychological impacts, the NT News reported.
Justice John Burns described Ryan's actions as 'very dangerous' as he was jailed for 19 months.
The victim (pictured after the attack) suffered a fractured skull in the sickening incident
The incident occurred at Next Level Gym (pictured) in Rosebery on Darwin's outskirts in October 2020
The court heard relations between the pair had been 'amicable' and 'friendly' and that there was no motive for the unprovoked attack as the judge noted no evidence of 'significant premeditation or planning'.
Ryan insisted he 'accidentally' injured the fellow gymgoer but accepted his actions were deliberate, the court heard.
'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 judge told Ryan in court.
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Share'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.'
Ryan must serve at least 10 months behind bars before he's eligible for parole.
The victim was lifting dumbbells moments beforehand, unaware another gymgoer was about to lunge at him and drop a 20kg weight on his head
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