Two years after his roommate bludgeoned him with a hammer, Harry Sumantri says he finds it hard to trust people.
Kevin Arden, 28, was found guilty of the attempted murder after serving a drugged drink to Mr Sumantri in May 2020 and repeatedly hitting him over the head while he was asleep in a Sydney CBD unit.
"It affects my life so badly, I am suffering from trauma, I have severe trust issues with others, I have become so passive in relationships and once I get to know others I start to suspect if they're good or not," he said at Arden's sentencing hearing on Wednesday.
Mr Sumantri told the judge he could not walk for a year after the incident and two years on he is still struggling to work.
"I have pain that affects my daily life. I am working as a chef in the kitchen and when I handle heavy things I am in so much pain," he said in Downing Centre District Court.
The 28-year-old also has significant scars above his eyebrow and on the back of his head, telling the court he may experience significant brain damage later in life.
"In my perspective (Arden) is a dangerous person because he was planning to kill me, and that's not humanity," he said.
The week before the incident, Mr Sumantri asked Arden to pay back the $52,000 he had lent him to start his own business.
Arden's lawyer says he has a gambling problem, frequently blowing borrowed money on lottery tickets and casinos.
In considering his sentence, she asked the judge to take into account his remorse and his age.
"To both the police and to hospital staff he admitted he was responsible and that he shouldn't have done it," his lawyer said.
"I ask the court not to impose a sentence that's crushing for the offender."
He is due to be sentenced on November 14.
