David Eastman was subjected to random acts of violence and death threats while serving a 19-year prison sentence for the 1989 murder of the ACT's former chief police officer, the ACT Supreme Court has heard.
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Mr Eastman is suing the territory for compensation after he was found not guilty of Colin Winchester's murder by a jury in November.
One of the first things Mr Eastman did upon his release from jail was to visit the graves of his mother and twin sisters, all of whom died during his incarceration.
On Wednesday, the court heard how Mr Eastman had grown increasingly distressed when his sisters, who had learning difficulties and eventually required institutional care, had begged him to visit them.
One of Mr Eastman's barristers, Peter Tierney, told the court how his client had been the victim of "random, aimless violence" while incarcerated with one "vicious and unprovoked assault" leaving him with significant injuries.
He said Mr Eastman had to be moved between jails as many as 90 times during his incarceration and had been taunted by prison staff.
Mr Eastman was kept for lengthy period in isolation and was subject to lengthy restraint by prison staff, Mr Tierney said.
One consequence of moving facilities so regularly, Mr Tierney said, was Mr Eastman struggled to secure meaningful employment in custody. He became a tutor and participated in garden construction at the Alexander Maconochie Centre.
Mr Tierney detailed how after having his case dismissed by the High Court, and trying to mount a petition from his jail cell where he couldn't have more than one carton of documents with him at any time, Mr Eastman was at his wits' end.
He told the court at that point Mr Eastman attempted to commit suicide while in custody.
Mr Eastman's legal team have argued he is entitled to compensation from the government as he was, they say, wrongfully imprisoned after his first trial in which there was a miscarriage of justice.
They argue he was denied procedural fairness and that his conviction was based on deeply flawed evidence which was quashed in 2014 after a review. At the subsequent 6-month trial he was found not guilty.
Mr Tierney said, in addition to the mental anguish and physical assaults suffered in custody, there was added difficulty for Mr Eastman to reintegrate to the community after prison due to his notoriety.
He referenced a Daily Telegraph article which quoted former NSW Corrective Services Commissioner Ron Woodham, where Mr Woodham said of Mr Eastman being transferred to the ACT, "good riddance, we can't wait to get rid of the a***hole".
Mr Tierney said this sort of public vilification meant Mr Eastman had struggled with the re-establishment of a meaningful life after prison.
The court previously heard ACT Treasurer Andrew Barr offered Mr Eastman an act of grace payment on condition he sign away his legal rights and discontinue his suit against the government.
But Mr Eastman rejected the offer. Lawyers for the former Treasury official told the court there was a complete lack of transparency about how the amount had been calculated.
ACT Solicitor-General, Peter Garrison SC, will make submissions to the court on Friday on behalf of the government against the compensation claim.
