A British ski instructor pleaded guilty on Tuesday to raping a woman and attacking her friend in a crime so vicious police initially believed more than one person perpetrated it.

Matthew James Williams, 29, faced Queanbeyan Local Court on Tuesday for assaults that took place in July in the resort town of Jindabyne in the Snowy Mountains, 110 miles south of the capital Canberra.

CCTV footage showed Mr Williams following the man and woman after they left a pub to return to their hotel at around 1am on July 5.

Mr Williams punched and kicked the 25-year-old man until he became unconscious.

According to local media, the 22-year-old woman screamed and said: “What do you want? Do you want money? Take what you want.”

Williams laughed at her before punching her in the face and causing her to black out.