After moving in an older woman to help his wife care for their newborn and young child, Chee Kit Chong's power over her grew and she became his slave.

He manipulated the woman into serving him while depriving her of food, sleep, medical care and freedom.

An incident involving Chong's company credit card led to him demanding the woman live with his family in Melbourne's southwest, and work for no pay under threat of violence.

Her duties included doing the dishes, cleaning the house and providing leg massages to Chong.

"It became a master and servant relationship," prosecutor Shaun Ginsbourg SC said on Tuesday.

Chong, who was in May convicted by a jury of keeping a slave and one count of assault, exploited the woman's generosity and affection by dominating and controlling her daily life, prosecutors said.

The 47-year-old faced the County Court in Melbourne, dressed in a grey tracksuit, for a pre-sentence hearing where Mr Ginsbourg called for him to be handed a lengthy prison term.

"His offending was selfish, it was callous and it was sustained and manipulative," Mr Ginsbourg said.

"Overall that conduct thoroughly dehumanised [the victim] over a long period of time.

"Mr Chong should be sentenced to a substantial term of imprisonment and a parole period."

The victim, who cannot be legally identified, died in 2024. However, her recorded interview with federal police in 2022 was played to the jury in Chong's trial.

Chong kept her as a slave from March to October of 2022 until she escaped his home and was found with bruises and injuries to her leg and ears.

He was accused of threatening and coercing the woman to provide domestic services under threat of assault or hunger, prosecutors told the jury.

At times she was given a choice of sleeping in the garage or on the balcony, the court was told on Tuesday.

Chong continues to deny all of the offending.

His barrister Diana Price disputed the prosecution's allegations Chong exercised total control over the woman, including denying the woman was malnourished or deprived medical care.

She said Chong would likely be deported back to Malaysia upon completing a prison term and his incarceration had a "considerable" impact on his wife and two children.

Ms Price asked for Chong to be handed a prison term with a recognisance release order instead of a non-parole period, which would allow him to be released on good behaviour after serving time.

His wife Angie Liaw was initially accused of assisting her husband and faced trial, but Judge Michael Cahill found her not guilty of the offence before the jury's deliberations.

The judge accused her of throwing Chong "under a bus" with her defence during the trial and queried whether they were still together, which Ms Price confirmed they were.

Chong, who remains in custody, will be sentenced on August 28.