Melbourne man tortured tourist and partner

Two battered women who were forced to torture one another had the humanity sucked out of them by an ice junkie who believed he was possessed by the devil, a judge says.

Alfio Anthony Granata, 48, has pleaded guilty to repeatedly raping and bashing a Dutch tourist in his Preston hotel room during a six-week ordeal.

His former partner, Jennifer Mary Peaston, has also pleaded guilty to intentionally causing injury to the woman.

But Peaston's lawyer, Nola Karapanagiotidis, says her client was equally a victim of Granata's abuse, and only assaulted the woman at his behest.

Granata abused the drug ice and variously told the women he was possessed by the devil and an ancestor named Toto.

Peaston's plea hearing was told the trio began a relationship based on drug use and group sex, but Granata soon grew to dominate the women.

He used a knife to carve an X into the bodies of both women as a sign of ownership and forbade them from communicating with each other.

Ms Karapanagiotidis said Granata also forced the women to assault each other, once ordering the Dutch tourist to hold Peaston in chains while he beat her with pipes and metal objects.

Judge Frank Gucciardo accepted that Peaston's crimes amounted to "misguided transference" which occurred within a climate of fear.

"It looks like she punished (the woman) but it's done to please him," Jude Gucciardo said.

"These are women whose humanity has been sucked out of them."

Granata filmed himself abusing both women in footage which Judge Gucciardo described as repulsive.

"The state of these women's bodies, bearing old red bruises, welts and markings on every limb," he said.

"It's the most repulsive piece of footage anyone could hope to see."

Granata and Peaston, 34, met their victim at a party in St Kilda and invited her back to their hotel room for drugs and sex.

After one visit in November 2012, she was intimidated into staying and remained a prisoner for six weeks.

But Ms Karapanagiotidis described Peaston as a virtual prisoner as well, saying she had suffered from elements of Stockholm syndrome throughout her five-year relationship with Granata.

The Dutch woman's ordeal ended on Christmas Day 2012, when Peaston called police after the woman cut her wrists in a suicide attempt.

Both Peaston and Granata have been in custody since they were arrested in February 2013, but Ms Karapanagiotidis said Peaston should escape a conviction.

"This woman should be extended some mercy, some opportunity, her own suffering and torture should be recognised," she said.

Peaston will be sentenced on Friday.

Granata will be sentenced at a later date.