He also praised the courage of the victim for appearing at court in person to face Silvagni and provide her impact statement.
Stephen and Jo Silvagni arriving at the County Court on Wednesday for the sentencing of their son, Tom.Credit: Joe Armao
Tom is the youngest son of Carlton great Stephen Silvagni and wife Jo, a former television host, and the grandson of Blues Hall of Famer Sergio.
During the 40-minute-long hearing, the victim sat with family, who wrapped their arms around her as she sobbed while details of the offending were read out.
Six seats away sat the Silvagni family, their youngest son beamed into the courtroom on giant television screens from custody at the Melbourne Assessment Prison.
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More than 60 members of the public and the press were seated nearby, as Jo Silvagni glared across the room at the victim as the judge spoke.
Silvagni’s parents have previously said they are continuing to support their son and would help him fight to clear his name.
Lyon noted Silvagni had the unwavering support of his family and good prospects of rehabilitation, albeit without any remorse.
“You have demonstrated no remorse and no insight into any aspect of your wrongdoing,” he said. “Not the rapes, not altering the Uber receipt or your later conduct.
“Successful rehabilitation requires both.”
During the trial, the court heard the female victim visited Silvagni’s family home in Balwyn North on January 13, 2024, while his parents were away in Noosa.
Silvagni, his girlfriend Alannah Iaconis, his childhood friend Anthony Lo Giudice, and the victim first gathered downstairs at the home before they went to bed.
The court heard Silvagni and Iaconis went to one bedroom, and the victim and Lo Giudice to another. The victim had consensual sex with Lo Giudice, who left her in the bedroom, called an Uber and headed home just after 2am.
The court heard Silvagni then entered the victim’s room in the dark, where he pretended to be Lo Giudice, and raped the woman twice, despite her telling Silvagni to stop and that she suspected it was him.
Silvagni later tried to cover up his crimes by obtaining a copy of Lo Giudice’s Uber receipt and altering the time of the journey to suggest the man did not leave until 2.37am.
Stephen and Jo Silvagni after the verdict.Credit: Joe Armao
Silvagni told the jury he never went into the victim’s bedroom, and said he had doctored the Uber receipt to “alleviate a bit of the stress” for him and his girlfriend.
Lyon labelled Silvagni’s conduct towards Lo Giudice, his lifelong friend, as “utterly appalling and shameful”.
The 23-year-old rapist was granted a suppression order after he was charged in June 2024; despite repeated court fights by media companies, including this masthead, it remained in place even after the guilty verdict.
Defence lawyer David Hallowes, SC, argued that publishing his client’s family name impacted his mental health to the degree that he would not be able to give proper instructions to his lawyers or give evidence during his trial.
“The Silvagni family name and people who are part of that Silvagni family have a reputation and that is something keenly felt by this family,” Hallowes said at the time.
The veil of secrecy was lifted last week when a judge noted Tom Silvagni’s name had become common knowledge despite the suppression order and that he would have to “reconcile with the reality” at some point.
The victim told the court at a pre-sentence hearing last week that she had to navigate a minefield of lies, gaslighting and trauma that she said she would carry for the rest of her life.
“People think the worst part of this was the night you hurt me, but it’s … having to live with the aftermath every day since,” she said.
The victim, who asked not to be named, later sought to spread awareness of the judicial process online.
She wrote: “This man was found guilty. Do you know how rare and hard it is for someone to be found guilty of this specific crime? Twelve random people unanimously agreed that he was guilty ‘beyond reasonable doubt’.
“If you’re still commenting and convinced he’s innocent, you are the reason survivors are too scared to report these people.”
Support is available from the National Domestic Family and Sexual Violence Counselling Service 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732) and Victims of Crime Helpline (1800 819 817).
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