He also said he prays that the “cruel, evil people” who hurt Lola and allowed her to be hurt “suffer pain and torment until they take their last breath”.
Mr Thomas’s words come after 31-year-old Kyle Bevan – Lola’s mother’s new partner – was convicted at Swansea Crown Court of murdering the youngster at the family home in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire.
Sinead James, her mother, was convicted of causing or allowing her death.
During the four-week trial prosecutor, Caroline Rees KC said Bevan, a self-confessed “spice head”, had launched a “murderous” attack on Lola and used the hours after to cover his tracks instead of calling for an ambulance.
The court heard Lola had previously sustained injuries including a damaged nose, black eyes and a cut lip while in Bevan’s care.
It was accepted that mother-of-three James was asleep at the time and did not take part in the vicious assault that led to her daughter’s death.
But it was the prosecution’s case that James, a previous victim of domestic violence, failed to protect Lola from Bevan, “instead choosing to prioritise her relationship with him over her own daughter’s physical safety”.
In a statement addressed to his daughter, Mr Thomas said: “The pain and grief I feel every time I close my eyes and see your perfect little face is unbearable.
“The pain I feel thinking of all the smiles you gave to me and all the smiles I won’t get a chance to give back to you hurts so much.”
“Even to say your name shatters my heart to know you can’t hear my voice anymore.
“The only reason I can stand here today is for hope that you can see me, see that you were loved and that you deserved to live a full, happy, safe life surrounded by the joy that you gave to others.
“I’m so sorry your short life was filled with so much pain. You are so loved Lola and so missed every single day.”
Wales Online reports that in his statement Mr Thomas also praised the “great team with much passion” which has worked together to secure justice in the case.
He gave special thanks to the Dyfed-Powys Police investigation team for “not leaving any question unanswered or stone unturned”, and his family support officers for “keeping me focused and guiding me through the darkest hours”.
Mr Thomas also thanked his closest friends and family for their support.
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The dad added: “The outcome here will never stop the hurt you felt or the hurt that lives inside of me. it’s been a long time coming to see justice and I can only pray that these cruel, evil people that hurt you and allowed you to be hurt, suffer pain and torment until they take their last breath.”
Lola’s maternal grandmother, Nicola James, also paid an emotional tribute to her granddaughter.
Ms James said her last memory of the youngster would be of her singing and dancing to the Rhianna song Diamonds which she had learned to put on a show for the family.
She said: “She will forever be our diamond up in the sky, we will never ever forget her, and we will continue to keep her memory alive.
“We write her letters, and we talk to her in the sky at night.
“As a family we will never get over this, the loss that we feel is indescribable.”
She added: “We haven’t begun to process all of this, and don’t know how we ever will. Lola we love you, we will always love you, and we will miss you forever.”
The grandmother also thanked everyone involved in the case for everything they had done for the family.
She said they would be “forever grateful” for the support they had received from the police family liaison officers and from the Sandy Bears bereavement charity.
Sinead James and 31-year-old Bevan will be sentenced at Swansea Crown Court on April 25.
