A guy from Darwin was sentenced to prison after smashing a 20kg weight on the head of a fellow gymgoer. Shane William Ryan, 33, pled guilty in the Supreme Court. During the trial, the opposition lawyer revealed shocking CCTV evidence of the event at a gym in Darwin over 18 months ago. The two men were working out at the Next Level Gym in Rosebery, Palmerston, south-east of Darwin, early one morning in October 2020, according to the court. Ryan is seen taking a 20kg plate and approaching the victim, who is laying on a bench on his back and lifting dumbbells, according to surveillance footage shown in court.

He lunged towards the victim, dropping the weight on the head of a fellow gymgoer, knocking the victim to the ground. While attacking his fellow gym mate, Ryan also seemed to have hurt his ankle and walked away as the victim remains in misery on the floor, clutching his wounded face and head. According to the court, he ultimately returned to the guy to assist him and called an ambulance. According to the NT News, the injured guy had a broken skull, a cut to his eyebrow, swelling to his face, and significant and ongoing' psychological effects. Ryan's acts were described as "very dangerous" by Justice John Burns, who sentenced him to 19 months in prison. 

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According to the court document, Ryan will not be eligible for release until he has served at least ten months in prison. The court was told that prior to this incident, the relationship between them was amicable and friendly and that there was no motivation for the unprovoked attack because there was no indication of "significant premeditation or preparation," according to the judge.

According to news.com.au, Ryan claimed he hurt the fellow gymgoer "accidentally" but the judge ruled his actions were intentional. Judge Burns said in court to 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 offense is troubling. Where there is an obvious motive for an offense 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,” the Judge noted.