A Newcastle man has been jailed for fracturing his twin brother's skull with a guitar.
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Luke Williams, 31, attacked his brother with an electric guitar after an argument in Hackett in March.
He pleaded guilty to recklessly inflicting grievous bodily harm and was sentenced in the ACT Supreme Court on Friday morning.
Justice Hilary Penfold sentenced Williams to three years jail, backdated to take into account time spent in custody, with a non-parole period of 18 months.
Williams will be eligible for release in March 2017.
The trouble started after the brothers and the offender's ex-partner had been on a road trip in March 7.
The victim – who had been drinking – got out of the car, verbally abused the woman, threatened violence against her, and then swung a punch at Williams through the window.
Williams chased the victim, who fell as he fled, and Williams struck him in the head with the musical instrument.
The force of the blow rendered him unconscious .
Williams rendered first aid as the man began to regain consciousness and told passersby to call an ambulance.
Justice Penfold said this showed a level of remorse and regret, although Williams initially lied to police, saying his brother had injured himself in the fall.
The victim suffered a depressed skull fracture, bleeding on the brain, and a fractured right eye socket and nasal cavity in the attack.
The injuries required extensive surgery and the victim spent about three weeks in hospital. He was discharged to a Melbourne rehabilitation centre in April.
A sentence hearing last week heard Williams had a criminal history, which included a number of convictions for violence, across Victoria, NSW, Queensland, and South Australia.
"This is a significant criminal history and leaves little scope for leniency," Justice Penfold said.
The judge said this history meant personal deterrence had been an important factor in sentencing.
After handing down her decision, Justice Penfold told Williams that he needed to address his tendency towards violence or face increasingly harsh and lengthy jail sentences in the future.
