A man who slammed a 20-kg (44lbs) weight onto the head of another gym goer and inflicted horrible damage has been sentenced to prison.
After Shane William Ryan, 33, entered a guilty plea in the Supreme Court on the day his trial was set to begin, chilling CCTV of the event at a gym close to Darwin over 18 months ago has come to light.
One early morning in October 2020, the two men testified in court at the Next Level Gym in the Palmerston neighborhood of Rosebery, southeast of Darwin.
Ryan can be seen in the courtroom picking up a 20 kg plate and moving approaching the victim, who is laying on a bench with his back supported by dumbbells.
CCTV footage of the terrible incident where Shane William Ryan threw a 20 kg weight on another gym goer close to Darwin has surfaced. On Monday, he received a 19-month prison term.
The men was knocked to the ground when the attacker pounced at him and threw the weight onto the head of the gym patron.
The victim holds his face as Ryan looks to have damaged his ankle and walks away.
Later, Ryan went back to the man to assist him and call an ambulance.
The injured man sustained a broken skull, an eyebrow cut, facial edema, and “severe and ongoing” psychological effects, according to the NT News.
Justice Ryan was sentenced to 19 months in prison, and John Burns called his conduct “a extremely hazardous act.”
According to testimony given in court, the two had “amicable” and “pleasant” interactions, and this was not the reason behind the unprovoked attack.
Ryan claims the incident was a “accident,” but he acknowledged in court that his actions were intentional.
‘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,’ Burns told Ryan in court.
‘The lack of an obvious motive for you to have engaged in this offence is troubling,’ he said.
‘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.
