A bodybuilder who claimed he suffered nerve damage following surgery has been jailed after photos and videos of him exercising were posted online.

Sean Murphy, 39, from Herefordshire, had surgery after rupturing his biceps tendon during a rugby match in March 2017 and subsequently sued Wye Valley NHS Trust for £580,000, claiming the damage to his elbow left him unable to play rugby, work as a builder and dress himself.

But the England player’s claim was rejected in 2022 after the NHS discovered he had been lying, leading to photos and videos of him comfortably lifting weights on the rugby pitch being posted on Facebook.

Murphy has now been sentenced to eight months in prison at London’s High Court for contravening a court order and must pay £200,000 in court costs, on top of the NHS’s costs of the original case and contravention of the court order.

Sean Murphy sues the NHS for £580,000 in damages. (Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

He will also repay the £40,000 in interim compensation he received before the discovery.

Murphy claimed he played rugby once a week and trained twice, but in supporting documents he claimed it was “all over”.

He also claimed that he could not carry pots or clothes, but at most he could carry ‘an empty teapot’.

In photos and videos, she can be seen lifting a three-stone kettlebell, as well as lifting dumbbells to the tune of 80s hit song ‘Karma Chameleon’.

According to The Times, videos of Murphy playing rugby for Ross-on-Wye’s second team have also been found, with local media reports detailing Murphy dominating and ‘bullying’ opponents throughout the match.

Sean Murphy sentenced to eight months in prison for failing to comply with court order. (Facebook)

The NHS said Murphy was entitled to some compensation but said his £580,000 claim ‘vastly exaggerated’ his symptoms.

Judge James Healy-Pratt found the claim was worth just £5,000 in the 2022 case and suggested the £580,000 offer was ‘fundamentally dishonest’.

But last week, Claire Toogood KC, acting for the NHS, took the case back to court, calling for Murphy to be jailed for false statements he made to professionals.

“He says his grip is weak – the most he can lift is an empty kettlebell – he was known to have a vice-like grip before the surgery. But in one of the photos he can be seen lifting a heavy kettlebell,” he said.

“It is extremely important that those who come to court are honest in their allegations.”

Judge Mould said Murphy’s attempt to take money from the NHS coincided with the COVID pandemic, a period when they were struggling the most.

Photos and videos of Murphy lifting weights were shared on social media. (Facebook)

“It’s hard to think of a more selfish and manipulative scam,” Mould said.

He also stated that he knew full well that Murphy was lying and that he did not have any sincere belief in the truth of what he said.

In a couple of videos taken after the injury, he lifted a heavy bar in one and lifted and swung a kettlebell in another.

Mould said the videos showed “no significant weakness” in Murphy’s arm “beyond reasonable belief.”

The judge added: “I am satisfied that he deliberately lied to every single pundit by voluntarily giving the false impression that he could not play rugby.

“I find the allegations of defamation to be proven to the criminal standard of evidence. He is in contempt of court by providing false information to four medical experts and making false statements in documents corroborated by a statement of fact.”

“In my opinion, the shortest prison sentence I can give is eight months,” he concluded.