Relatives of children abused by a state-employed childcare worker have told of a "lifetime of pain" inflicted on so many people by his actions.
Presenting emotional victim impact statements to the South Australian District Court on Friday, relatives spoke of the enormous grief and hurt felt by the victims of Shannon Grant McCoole.
One grandmother addressed McCoole in the dock, saying what he had subjected her family to was "exponentially horrific" and "tore apart our everyday reality".
"The lifetime of pain you have inflicted on so many will never fade," she said.
McCoole, 32, pleaded guilty in February to multiple child sex offences committed over a three-year period from mid-2011 against young boys and girls under his care when he worked for Families SA.
One charge involved a girl aged 18 months.
In sentencing submissions prosecutor Ian Press said the extent of McCoole's offending was such that no words could truly capture the pain and hurt he had caused.
"This man's depravity has irrevocably affected the lives and memories of the families involved," he said.
McCoole offered a tearful apology to the court and said it was hard to explain, even to himself, how he committed the crimes.
"I hate who I am and what I have done," he said.
The discovery of McCoole's offending, which police alleged involved more than 100,000 still images and 600 video files, led to the establishment of a royal commission into the state's child protection system.
In a statement to the court on Friday, Families SA said the case had directly impacted on the confidence of all staff and projected a view that they were not to be trusted.
Premier Jay Weatherill said the submission showed the impact such offending could have, bringing the whole system into disrepute.
"In that sense the person not only commits a crime against the particular children involved but also against all those other fantastic workers who are trying to do their job," the premier said.
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