{"id":342154,"date":"2025-12-12T02:17:17","date_gmt":"2025-12-12T02:17:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/342154\/"},"modified":"2025-12-12T02:17:17","modified_gmt":"2025-12-12T02:17:17","slug":"rape-victim-accuses-afl-greats-son-tom-silvagni-of-evil-act-as-court-hears-silvagni-is-suicidal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/342154\/","title":{"rendered":"Rape victim accuses AFL great\u2019s son Tom Silvagni of \u2018evil\u2019 act as court hears Silvagni is suicidal"},"content":{"rendered":"

The victim of convicted rapist Tom Silvagni<\/a> has broken down in court during a pre-sentence hearing on Friday morning where she read from a statement for 28 minutes.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the court heard that Silvagni was \u201cacutely suicidal\u201d and, due to his mental health, imprisonment posed a \u201cclear and significant risk\u201d because of his \u201cdepression and anxiety\u201d.<\/p>\n

Silvagni, in prison greens, watched on via video as the victim accused him of an \u201cevil\u201d act, destroying her life, and also destroying her relationships with her friends.<\/p>\n

Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today Arrow<\/a><\/p>\n

Her statement in the Victorian County Court began with the words: \u201cTom Silvagni you raped me, not once but twice …. You know this, I know this and now so does everyone else.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tom Silvagni is the 23-year-old son of AFL<\/a> great Stephen Silvagni and television personality Jo Silvagni. He was found guilty of two counts of rape on December 5 following a two-week trial in the Victorian County Court.<\/p>\n

There had been a suppression over his identity since he was first charged with rape in June 2024, with his lawyers arguing publication could lead to the deterioration of his mental health.<\/p>\n

\"TomTom Silvagni, the son of AFL great Stephen Silvagni and TV presenter Jo Silvagni, is in custody after a high-profile rape case. Credit: AAP<\/p>\n

But Judge Andrew Palmer lifted the order on Thursday<\/a>, ruling it was no longer necessary given the trial had been run and Silvagni would be under close watch in custody.<\/p>\n

On Friday the victim said that Tom\u2019s decision to digitally rape her would have an impact on her \u201cfor the rest of my life\u201d.<\/p>\n

She said Silvagni was once her friend but that friendship was gone and she now lives with PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder).<\/p>\n

\u201cTom Silvagni you were my friend. Someone I thought I could trust …,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou didn\u2019t just hurt me, you also have changed the trajectory of my life.<\/p>\n

\u201cTom, you are my friend\u2019s boyfriend. Sometimes I can\u2019t even be around my other friends\u2019 boyfriends without the worrying thought in my back of my mind that they might turn around and rape me just like you did.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese are people I\u2019m supposed to trust, people I\u2019m not even meant to question for a second, but because of you, because of what you did to me, I can\u2019t, and I won\u2019t be able to (trust) for a very long time.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing raped by not only your friend but your friend\u2019s boyfriend, is a lot for a 20-year-old\u2019s brain to process. Even now, two years later, a lot of it still feels very surreal, and something I\u2019ll never fully come to terms with.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing able to trust those close to you is super important, is a super important part to life, but because of you, this has been impacted so so much. My friendship with your girlfriend was one I enjoyed so much, but seeing how easily you were able to turn her against me with your gaslighting and lies left me feeling a type of betrayal that I never thought I\u2019d experience from anyone.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe pain of knowing my close friend is believing her boyfriend\u2019s side after I\u2019ve just had to make the scariest phone call of my life, telling her that her boyfriend had just raped me, is a pain that will have a long-lasting impact on my ability to trust new friends that come into my life for the rest of my life.\u201d<\/p>\n

She said was \u201cstill in a very vulnerable stage\u201d of her life and she now dealt with lingering trust issues.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s always a voice in the back of my head reminding me how lovely, sweet and respectful you always were to me, until one night you decided to change everything,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd my brain tells me, well, if Tom can switch up on you so surprisingly and quickly, so could anyone else you grow close to. I try so hard to still see the good in people and believe them, but now I question their motives before I even say hello, and every time I try your, betrayal whispers in my ear.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t even put into words how severely your gaslighting and lies messed my brain that night, and not only that night, but to this very moment, two years later, knowing someone I called a friend was able to do something so horrific to me, and then 10 minutes later, look at me in the eye and deny it so genuinely like nothing had ever happened.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s actually terrifying that someone you thought you knew and trusted could do something so evil.\u201d<\/p>\n

She said she now lived in fear and \u201ccan\u2019t even be calm in public spaces\u201d.<\/p>\n

She said she could still remember that night of the 14th \u201clike it was just yesterday\u201d and \u201cevery detail\u201d played over in her head \u2014 \u201csecond by second as if I\u2019m reliving it\u201d.<\/p>\n

Silvagni\u2019s lawyer, David Hallowes SC told the court that Silvagni\u2019s prospects of rehabilitation were excellent and jail for him would be a \u201cliving hell\u201d.<\/p>\n

The court also heard details of a medical report that stated that imprisonment would weigh more heavily on Silvagni because of his mental health issues in contrast with a person of \u201cnormal mental health\u201d.<\/p>\n

The medical report stated that Silvagni had a documented history of \u201csuicidal ideation since childhood\u201d, had had two hospitalisations for major depression and an actual overdose in May, 2025\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a serious risk that imprisonment will have a significant adverse effect on Mr Silvagni\u2019s mental health,\u201d Hallowes told the court.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn my opinion, these factors pose a clear and significant risk that imprisonment will have a significant adverse effect on Mr Silvagni\u2019s mental health, namely his depression and anxiety.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hallowes also said that Silvagni had no prior convictions.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter my experiences as a criminal lawyer and from my work in the courts, I know that for everyone that goes into the prison system, every hour of every day in the prison system is a living hell,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Following the hearing, Judge Gregory Lyon said he would sentence on the matter on Wednesday at 10am AEDT.<\/p>\n

The court heard the complainant\u2019s name would remain anonymous as was her wish.<\/p>\n

The Judge Lyon noted that Silvagni had no prior convictions, was young, and \u201ccompletely outside the milieu of familiarity with the criminal justice system\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd so every day that he\u2019s in prison it is a shock. He\u2019s putting up with the with the food, the fear and the boredom every day along with a myriad of other things. So every single day of his sentence is served in those conditions,\u201d Judge Lyon said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd so the work that\u2019s done already by general deterrence …. I\u2019m just not quite sure what more needs to be added to send a message home to this young man that what he\u2019s done is vastly deeply criminal.\u201d<\/p>\n

The maximum sentence for rape is 25 years behind bars.<\/p>\n

Silvagni worked in the AFL player management business with the KAPITAL Sports Group.<\/p>\n

The court also heard that he had lost his job plus other coaching opportunities.<\/p>\n

Silvagni had repeatedly denied he digitally raped his friend\u2019s girlfriend at his Melbourne home in the early hours of January 14, 2024.<\/p>\n

The jury was previously told the woman had consensual sex with her boyfriend at the house but then he organised an Uber and left the property shortly before 2am.<\/p>\n

Silvagni then lied, telling the woman her boyfriend would be returning upstairs because his Uber had been cancelled.<\/p>\n

But it was Silvagni who went into the dark bedroom a short time later and pretended to be the woman\u2019s boyfriend before digitally raping her twice.<\/p>\n

In the days after, he doctored an Uber receipt to make it look like the victim\u2019s boyfriend had left the house after 2.30am.<\/p>\n

Silvagni admitted forging the receipt but said he did so because he panicked after being falsely accused of rape.<\/p>\n

Stephen Silvagni is a legend of the Carlton Football Club, the club\u2019s greatest full-back of all time, a five-time All-Australian and a dual premiership hero for the Blues.<\/p>\n

His father, Sergio, is a former Carlton captain and also a dual premiership player.<\/p>\n

Stephen has worked at various AFL clubs since he retired and is currently St Kilda\u2019s list manager.<\/p>\n

Jack Silvagni played 128 games for Carlton before joining St Kilda at the end of this year.<\/p>\n

If you or someone you know is impacted by sexual assault, domestic or family violence, call 1800RESPECT<\/a> on 1800 737 732 or visit 1800RESPECT.org.au. In an emergency, call 000.Advice and counselling for men concerned about their use of family violence: Men\u2019s Referral Service<\/a>, 1300 766 491.<\/p>\n

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