The victim of a child predator feels as if her mind has been hacked by a virus, a court has heard.
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Last year, an ACT Supreme Court jury found Thomas William Johnston guilty of knocking out an eight-year-old girl with a chloroform-filled mask, and of using a child to produce pornography.
Johnston also pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography.
The girl, a family friend, was knocked unconscious with chloroform while playing at Johnston's house in November 2009.
The girl told her mother and police that Johnston put a mask on her, which contained a strong odour and made her eyes water.
She fell asleep and woke up in a different part of the house. She still felt nauseous the next day.
A police raid days later uncovered a bottle of chloroform in Johnston's bedroom, child pornography on electronic devices and child pornography websites in the favourites' list of a web browser.
A victim impact statement, read by the girl's uncle at a sentence hearing on Monday, said the incident had triggered depression and anxiety in the child.
The victim said she had nightmares and her marks at school had deteriorated.
The court heard she even dreaded seeing a counsellor because it meant she had to think about Johnston.
She said she felt her mind had been hacked like a "computer with a virus".
"I hate you so much for what you did to me," she said in her statement.
The girl's parents said their daughter had gone from bubbly and outgoing to withdrawn and fearful.
The court heard the pressure had also split their marriage.
The mother said she felt she had failed as a parent, now treated everyone as a suspect, and would not let her children out of her sight.
"I despise and loathe you [Johnston]. How do you live with yourself?" the mother said in her victim impact statement.
The sentencing hearing heard Johnston was suffering from bladder cancer, which may have spread to other organs.
Defence lawyer Ken Archer said the crime was an isolated event and his client was a low risk of reoffending.
Mr Archer said Johnston was a man of otherwise good character.
The Crown said it was this perceived good character that gave him unfettered access to the victim.
Prosecutor Louise Taylor argued Johnston had a sexual interest in sleeping children and administering chloroform was the manifestation of that attraction.
Justice John Burns will hand down his sentence in October.
