{"id":342665,"date":"2025-12-12T07:42:15","date_gmt":"2025-12-12T07:42:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/342665\/"},"modified":"2025-12-12T07:42:15","modified_gmt":"2025-12-12T07:42:15","slug":"stephen-silvagni-breaks-down-outside-court-after-son-toms-pre-sentence-hearing-for-rape-conviction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/342665\/","title":{"rendered":"Stephen Silvagni breaks down outside court after son Tom\u2019s pre-sentence hearing for rape conviction"},"content":{"rendered":"

Carlton<\/a> legend Stephen Silvagni has broken down in tears as he fronted media for the first time since his son Tom was convicted of rape.<\/a><\/p>\n

The Australian Football Hall of Famer read out a short statement in front of the County Court following his son\u2019s pre-sentence hearing on Friday, throwing the support of he and his family behind the 23-year-old, who maintains his innocence.<\/p>\n

Stephen, who played 312 games for the Blues and is now the list manager at St Kilda, said his family was considering its legal options for Tom.<\/p>\n

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

\u201cJo and I, together with our family members and friends, are so disappointed with the outcome,\u201d he said, standing alongside wife Jo, who is a TV personality.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe all love and support our son, Tom.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur son continues to maintain his innocence and we stand firmly behind him.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will be considering our options to appeal and shall not be making any further comments on this case.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur goal is to clear his name and bring him home.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe ask for our privacy and to be respectful.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"StephenStephen Silvagni broke down in tears addressing the media. Credit: AAP\/7NEWS<\/p>\n

The AFL legend, whose eldest son Jack played 128 games for Carlton before signing with St Kilda in October, noted his family\u2019s gratitude for the support they had received through this process, before becoming too emotional to continue.<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry, sorry…\u201d he said while covering his face and walking away in tears with Jo.<\/p>\n

Tom Silvagni was found guilty of two counts of rape on December 5 following a two-week trial in the Victorian County Court.<\/p>\n

His name had been hidden under a suppression order since he was first charged with rape in June 2024 until it was lifted at 4.30pm on Thursday.<\/p>\n

Judge Andrew Palmer<\/a> ruled the suppression order was no longer necessary given the trial had been run and Silvagni would be under close watch by authorities, who have a statutory duty to keep him safe.<\/p>\n

At his pre-sentence hearing on Friday, the victim, who still cannot be named, delivered a chilling impact statement which went for 28 minutes.<\/p>\n

\u201cTom Silvagni you raped me, not once but twice …. You know this, I know this and now so does everyone else,\u201d she began her statement with.<\/p>\n

\"TomTom Silvagni has been found guilty of rape. He will learn his sentence on Wednesday. Credit: AAP<\/p>\n

Dressed in prison greens, Silvagni 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

\u201cEvery day of my life, I\u2019m taken back to that vision of you holding my hands behind my back, where you got some kind of satisfaction out of immobilising me and raping me, no matter how many times I told you to stop or try to wiggle out of your grip, you didn\u2019t,\u201d the victim told the court.<\/p>\n

\u201cInstead, you tried to reassure me by saying, \u2018Don\u2019t worry, it\u2019s (his friend). Why wouldn\u2019t it be?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

He 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

<\/p>\n

Rape victim emotionally accuses Tom Silvagni of \u2018evil act\u2019 in court<\/p>\n

6 min read<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

AFL legend\u2019s son Tom Silvagni identified in high-profile rape case<\/p>\n

3 min read<\/p>\n

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