A brutal hammer attack by a client who brought a torture kit to a hotel room has left a sex worker with lifelong mental and physical scars.
The woman was bashed by Matthew Sean Donaldson who hired her for a "sadomasochistic sexual experience” in a Sydney hotel room on February 23, 2021.
The 44-year-old is awaiting sentencing in the NSW District Court after pleading guilty to one count of causing grievous bodily harm with intent to murder.
The self-professed gaming enthusiast brought a hammer, knife and ball gag to the room, cut off the women's underwear and got into an argument about the moralities of people selling their bodies for sex before attacking the Belarusian sex worker with the hammer.
“This was a woman trying to make her living engaged in sex work, legal sex work in Australia, who has had her life ... completely and utterly destroyed by this offending," said crown prosecutor Sara Gul at Downing Centre on Friday.
A victim impact statement by the woman said she had spent three months in hospital after the attack.
She said she had to learn how to do basic household tasks again, struggled to eat after being unable to open her mouth fully for a year, and suffered from nightmares.
"She's lost all trust in men, the physical scars that she bears are present and she stated she will suffer the effects of the attack forever," Ms Gul said.
Donaldson, who watched Friday's hearing by video link while wearing a large crucifix pendant, has been diagnosed with schizophrenia, experiencing paranoid delusions that he was being persecuted by an entity called the "messenger" which could influence others.
These fears caused him to carry around a weapon at all times for self-defence, the court heard.
A key issue for Judge Antony Townsden is whether the attack was premeditated or whether it was a result of Donaldson's mental condition.
Two psychiatrists who previously gave evidence in the case had differing views on the 44-year-old's state of mind regarding the assault.
Defence barrister Sarah Talbert said while her client had planned to have the sexual experience and then take his own life, he had not contemplated the attack before it occurred, she said.
“There was no specific plan to attack the victim in the way that it occurred," she told the court.
Ms Gul disagreed, saying Donaldson had searched for articles about violence towards sex workers before attending the hotel.
Donaldson had equipped himself with weapons, including a hammer and a knife, and was prepared to use violence, she told the court.
After hiding in the bush in the Blue Mountains and his arrest by the NSW Police, he told workers at the Nepean Hospital that he wanted to "make it crazy" with the escort by handcuffing her and tying her to the bed.
He told police he got annoyed that she was on her phone and he went into a "crazy frenzy".
“I was just so stressed about it and so nervous about what I was going to do that, I dunno, I just went mad," he said.
Judge Townsden will deliver his sentence on September 22.
1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)
National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028
Lifeline 13 11 14
beyondblue 1300 22 4636
