The victim of sexual assaults by former Territory Labor staffer Kent Rowe has told a court the abuse robbed her of the chance to know herself and what she might have achieved in life if the abuse had not occurred.
The woman, who is a family member but cannot be named for legal reasons, read out an emotional victim impact statement during a sentencing hearing in the Northern Territory Supreme Court on Thursday.
Rowe was last month found guilty of sexual intercourse without consent.
As well as leading several Labor election campaigns, he held senior roles in the parliamentary office until his resignation in February last year.
The woman told the court there was not a "single facet" of her life unburdened by the impacts of the assaults and Rowe's betrayal of her trust.
"I have achieved, I have travelled, I have lived and I'm building a life for myself — I'm learning to be proud of myself," she said.
"But the truth is [that] my life has been one of so much unfulfilled potential."
The court heard Rowe had previously admitted to what he described as "abominable" sexualised behaviour towards the woman but denied any penetrative sexual acts.
The woman said her decision to report the abuse to police had damaged relationships with her family and said Rowe's decision to fight the charges at trial was retraumatising.
"I am so angry that not only have I had to live with the impacts of those crimes [but also] that I've been the one to carry the burden of this alone," she said.
Crown prosecutor Tami Grealy told the court Rowe was aware what he was doing was wrong but had showed a lack of acceptance and remorse by fighting the allegations at trial.
Defence argues for home detention, Chief Justice indicates jail time
While the prosecution said a minimum five-year prison sentence was warranted, defence lawyer John Tippett KC argued for consideration of a home detention order.
He told the court Rowe was in protective custody in Darwin's overcrowded adult prison.
"There was no aspect of the prosecution case or submissions that he's a risk to the community," he said.
Chief Justice Michael Grant reserved his sentencing decision until next month.
He ordered an assessment report on Rowe's suitability for supervision by the parole office, but said it should not be considered an indication that a non-parole period in prison was unlikely.
