This is the shocking moment a British gymgoer was brutally attacked with a dumbbell - after refusing to give up the bench press.

Gary Reed, 46, from Hastings, East Sussex, was working out when an angry fitness fanatic stormed over to claim he had been waiting to use the piece of equipment at the gym in Pattaya on May 17 afternoon.

The Brit ex-pat told the fellow Englishman, who he had never met before, that he wanted to finish his set and refused to give up the bench press, pointing to others that were available nearby.

Gary said the other man appeared to have accepted the situation but moments later he returned with the seven-inch long 1kg metal dumbbell bar and cracked him in the face.

CCTV footage shows how Gary was lying on the bench before the foreigner smashed him in the head with the metal bar part of the weights.

Shaken Gary staggered to his feet and confronted the attacker as they began wrestling in front of the security cameras.

Speaking today from the hospital, Gary said he needed 60 stitches following the alleged assault. He also suffered a fractured right eye socket, bleeding on his retina and needs a CT scan to check for brain damage.

Gary said: ‘There was no queue for using the equipment so I just laid myself down on the bench to start lifting weights like I normally do. You can see in the video, my weights were at the side of the bench the whole time, which basically means I'm still using it.

'Then this guy just walked over and said he wanted to use the bench press. I was like 'mate, just let me finish, I'll be done in two minutes', but he wasn't having it. There were others available to use, so I think he was looking for a fight.

'I carried on working out then he just came at me from behind like a coward and proper smashed me in the head. As far as I'm concerned, he could have killed me. If you hit someone in the head with a hammer, it's like attempted murder. This was a piece of metal as big and almost as heavy as a hammer. I'm lucky it didn't knock me out.'

Gary said that the fellow Brit lunged back at him while allegedly trying to continue the attack at the the Coco Fitness gym.

After being hit in the face, Gary jumped off the bench press and took cover while the foreigner continuously struck him.
The altercation lasted almost a minute before Gary was able to lock him in a bear hug. The attacked then fled on foot.

Gary has already paid 25,000 Baht (579 GBP) in medical fees, which could rise if he needs surgery and more treatment.

He added: 'This guy was still trying to hit me but I was strong enough to overpower him then he legged it. I've been left with a big hospital bill, so he needs to pay for that. I want the police to catch him so he can't do this to anyone else.'

The Brit went to the police to file a complaint and was sent to a hospital where he had 60 stitches around his right eye to receive a medical certificate. Police are now searching for the suspect.

Police Lieutenant Khunthum Khantiwong said: ‘We already have the identity of the attacker from the gym’s membership log and encourage him to cooperate so he can explain his side as well.

'If he doesn't hand himself in we will find him and he will be questioned about the attack on the CCTV video.'

The attacker's gym membership has now been terminated following the incident. The police station refused to provide the man’s identity while investigations are ongoing.

Pattaya is a city on the east coast of Thailand best know for its round-the-clock nightlife and bustling sex industry that has lead to it being called a modern day Sodom and Gomorrah or Sin City.

It attracts millions of tourists each year as well as Brits looking to retire there.