Police have arrested a British man who allegedly smashed his countryman in the head with a dumbbell. (Interview contains some strong language).

Sean Anthony Daly, 59, was seen on CCTV arguing with tourist Gary Reed, 46, over who was going to use the bench press in a gym in Pattaya, Thailand, on May 17.

Footage shows how Sean returned moments later and smashed Gary, from Hastings, East Sussex, just above the right eye with the 1kg metal bar of the weights.

The pair grappled before Sean left the gym. Gary was taken to the hospital to have 60 stitches, treatment for a fractured right eye socket, bleeding on his retina, and a CT scan to check for brain damage.

Officers in the coastal city popular with Brits launched a manhunt for martial arts fanatic.

Sean, from Northwood, London, later turned himself in before being charged and released on bail pending court proceedings.

Police Lieutenant Anan Mahakit-asawasakul, the officer handling the case, said: 'We are taking this case very seriously and we are following the correct legal process.

'The suspect has been interviewed twice and he confessed to the attack. I cannot tell the reason why he was angry that day as it is part of the evidence.

'We have already informed the suspect about the charges and the case has been sent to court. The court is now checking his criminal history to see if there are any similar incidents.'

Gary, who is on an extended holiday, said that he was working out when Sean approached him and demanded to use the bench press. Gary allegedly said 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. The fellow Brit lunged back at him while allegedly trying to continue the attack at 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 attacker then fled on foot.

Gary's worried relatives have started a GoFundMe page to raise money for his medical bills.

He 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.

'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 alleged attacker's gym membership has now been terminated following the incident.

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.