By Harrison Tippet, ABC
The judge commended the victim for her "real integrity." Photo: ikiryo/123RF
This story discusses graphic details of rape that may distress some readers.
Tom Silvagni, son of former AFL star Stephen Silvagni and TV personality Jo, has been sentenced to six years and two months in jail for rape.
Silvagni was sentenced in the County Court of Victoria on Wednesday after a jury earlier this month concluded he was guilty of digitally raping a woman in a dark bedroom after a night with friends in January 2024.
He will have to serve a non-parole period of three years and three months.
In his sentencing remarks, Judge Greg Lyon commended Silvagni's victim - to whom he referred using a pseudonym - for her "real integrity".
Judge Lyon said Silvagni's crimes were "marked by planning, cunning and strategy", and he noted Silvagni's lack of remorse.
"Whilst you have no prior convictions and you have not offended further and have no matters outstanding, you have demonstrated no remorse and no insight into any aspect of your wrongdoing," Judge Lyon said.
"Not the rapes, not altering the Uber receipt or your later conduct towards [your friend], or of course your conduct towards [the victim].
"The fact that no injuries were sustained should not be allowed to overshadow the physical violation you inflicted, and the psychological and emotional trauma that flows from the derogation of the victim's rights and sense of security."
Silvagni was found to have first raped the woman while pretending to be her boyfriend and then a second time while restraining the woman.
"Both forms of conduct, together with your subsequent conduct, display a real lack of empathy for your victim," Judge Lyon said.
The judge commended the victim's courage throughout the trial process and noted that she gave statements to the court in person.
"She has found her own voice," Judge Lyon said.
"The changes to her life have been seismic. A wise judge once observed that the rehabilitation of the survivor of sexual crimes is often harder to achieve than that of the offender."
"[The victim's] demonstrated courage is hopefully a positive sign that she is on the path to recovery."
Prosecutors told the court Silvagni took steps to cover his tracks, including altering an Uber receipt to make it appear that the victim's boyfriend had remained at the house longer than he had, which Judge Greg Lyon described as "deliberate conduct" adding to the seriousness of the offending.
Silvagni was on bail until the guilty verdict, when he was taken into custody.
Identity revealed after suppression order lifted
Tom Silvagni, 23, is the son of Stephen Silvagni, a star player for the Carlton Football Club between 1985 and 2001, and the younger brother of Jack Silvagni, who has played in the AFL since 2016 for Carlton and now St Kilda.
His grandfather, Sergio, was also a two-time premiership player for the Blues, while his mother, Jo, is a television personality who appeared on Sale of the Century in the 1990s and presents advertisements for pharmacy chain Chemist Warehouse.
Silvagni's identity was shrouded in secrecy for most of the court proceedings due to a suppression order put in place to prevent media from publishing the 23-year-old's name or any details about his well-known family.
The County Court of Victoria lifted the suppression order last Thursday following an expensive legal battle between media outlets and the Silvagni family, who hired top lawyers in a bid to keep Tom Silvagni's name out of the spotlight.
Silvagni's lawyer, David Hallowes SC, had argued for his client's identity to remain suppressed, citing evidence previously aired in court about his mental health, and that media publicity could make him extremely distressed.
Hallowes cited psychiatric evidence that there was "substantial and imminent risk of psychiatric harm, including suicide".
While leaving court on Wednesday, the Silvagnis declined to speak to the media, with Jo Silvagni telling a reporter to "go away".
The family has previously voiced their support of Tom.
Victim says she faces 'years of healing'
In a pre-sentence hearing last week, Silvagni's victim told the court of the trauma she had experienced since the rape in 2024, saying it haunted her "every single day".
"Tom Silvagni, you raped me. Not once, but twice," she said.
"You know this, I know this, and now so does everyone else."
The woman detailed her experiences with post-traumatic stress disorder, and the breakdown of her friendship group following the offending.
"You have forced me into years of healing that I have never asked for," she said.
-ABC
Sexual Violence
- NZ Police.
- Victim Support 0800 842 846.
- Rape Crisis: 0800 88 33 00.
- Rape Prevention Education.
- Empowerment Trust.
- HELP (Auckland): 09 623 1700, (Wellington): 04 801 6655.
- Safe to talk: 0800 044 334.
- Tautoko Tāne Male Survivors Aotearoa.
- Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) 022 344 0496.