Tom Silvagni, the 23-year-old son of former AFL star Stephen Silvagni and television personality Jo Silvagni, has been sentenced to six years and two months in jail for rape. The sentence was handed down in the County Court of Victoria on Wednesday after a jury found him guilty of digitally raping a woman in a dark bedroom following a night with friends in January 2024.
Judge Greg Lyon praised the victim's courage and integrity during the trial, while noting Silvagni's lack of remorse. The judge described the crimes as 'marked by planning, cunning and strategy,' and highlighted that Silvagni had taken steps to cover his tracks, including altering an Uber receipt to mislead about the victim's boyfriend's departure time.
Silvagni was found to have raped the woman twice: first while pretending to be her boyfriend, and then while restraining her. The judge emphasized that the absence of physical injuries should not overshadow the psychological and emotional trauma inflicted. Silvagni must serve a non-parole period of three years and three months.
In a pre-sentence hearing, the victim told the court the trauma haunted her 'every single day,' directly addressing Silvagni: 'Tom Silvagni, you raped me. Not once, but twice. You know this, I know this, and now so does everyone else.' Judge Lyon commended her courage in giving statements in person, noting that 'the rehabilitation of the survivor of sexual crimes is often harder to achieve than that of the offender.'
Silvagni's identity had been suppressed during most of the court proceedings due to a suppression order sought by his family, who hired top lawyers to keep his name out of the media. The order was lifted last Thursday after a legal battle with media outlets. Silvagni's lawyer had argued that revealing his identity posed a risk of psychiatric harm, including suicide, but the judge proceeded with the sentence.
Silvagni, who had been on bail until the guilty verdict, was taken into custody immediately. His family declined to comment as they left court, with Jo Silvagni telling a reporter to 'go away.'
