A woman who was raped in her home took the unusual step of forgiving her attacker.

A woman who suffered a violent rape has told her attacker she forgives him.

But she also spoke of how the justice system left her feeling "served up" to her attacker and paralleled her experience of being raped.

The woman spoke at a hearing in the Nelson District Court on Thursday, where West Coast man Jacob Jensen was found not guilty by reason of insanity for the brutal attack in September last year.

READ MORE: Plea of insanity for sexual attack in Nelson

While victims are not usually given an opportunity to speak at hearings of this nature, Judge Tony Zohrab allowed the woman who was attacked to address the court.

She began by saying she was grateful to have been given a letter of apology from Jensen, and offered him words of forgiveness.

"It is has been very helpful for me to read that you are sorry for your actions," she said.

"Please know that I wish for you what I hope for myself. I hope that you are resourced with enough resilience and support to bear the burden of your ill health and that you ultimately reach the maximum potential of your recovery, as soon as possible."

She referred to Jensen's struggle in coming to terms with what he'd done.

"I hope you can find enough kindness and gentleness in your life and within yourself to be able to forgive yourself. Please know that I forgive you."

However, she also told the court the immense impact of the offending and the subsequent court process.

She described her account of the attack – being "overcome" by Jensen as he "bashed and bashed" her head before raping her.

She suffered a traumatic brain injury which made some everyday tasks "impossible", as well as post-traumatic stress disorder.

She told the court she had hoped the immense compassion, love and support she'd received from her neighbourhood and community would help the violent attack "pale in comparison" to the subsequent encounters with "wholesome humanity".

But her experience of the justice system had been a "second and much more sustained intrusion" by Jensen.

Martin de Ruyter A woman who was raped in her home says she forgives her attacker, but thinks procedures for victims in the justice system leave a lot to be desired.

"With all due respect and gratitude to the earnest and most compassionate efforts of those good individuals who work within our police and justice systems, I did not know that the procedures of justice as they stand, would relegate me to such a lowly status, and subject me to treatment that has provided parallel to my experience of being raped," she said.

She'd been treated like a "body of evidence" and was alarmed that her medical information, including swabs taken after the attack and photos of her battered body, had to be provided to the defence in preparation for the case.

While she understood this was part of the justice process, the impact on her ability to heal had been immense.

In a statement provided to Stuff prior to the hearing, she said police had not been able to answer her questions – including whether they knew if the defendant had a sexually transmitted disease or was on a illegal substance at the time; nor were they able to provide her with a full account of what they understood happened on the night.

She'd felt "kept in the dark", as the justice system required her to be kept ignorant of anything that may have prejudiced her as a witness, had the matter gone to trial.

Psychiatrist reports presented to the court said Jensen was incapable of comprehending what he did was "morally wrong", was suffering from schizophrenia and an "acute psychotic episode" at the time of the attack.

Judge Zohrab ruled Jensen was not guilty by reason of insanity and made him a "special patient" under a restrictive detention order to a secure facility. The order means the Minister of Health will determine if and when he can be released, based on advice from mental health professionals.

At the conclusion of the hearing, Judge Zohrab thanked the victim for addressing the court in such a dignified way.

"I'm sure many people would have approached matters in a different and less forgiving way and that stands very much to your credit," he said.

He also acknowledged her observations and criticisms of the justice system.

"The criminal justice system is an adversarial system and at the heart of our system is the presumption of innocence and burden of the proof on the Crown and standard of proof being proof beyond reasonable doubt."

When dealing with situations of mental illness, he said the system didn't lend itself easily to recognition and acknowledgement of the person harmed and was often subject to delays, which could be hard for victims to deal with, as expert reports were sought.

"Regrettably, the system is a human system with all its frailties and as I say, weighted into all of this is this presumption of innocence."