Convicted rapist Tom Silvagni will face court for the first time since a judge lifted a suppression order that had stopped media from naming him.
The 23-year-old son of AFL great Stephen Silvagni and television personality Jo Silvagni was found guilty of two counts of rape on December 5 after a two-week trial in the Victorian County Court. He will return to court on Friday for a pre-sentence hearing.
Silvagni is the youngest son of the former Carlton player and list manager, and the brother of current St Kilda player Jack Silvagni. Until now, he could only be reported as a man from a high-profile family because of an order blocking the release of his identity.
The suppression was first imposed when Silvagni was charged with rape in June 2024. His lawyers argued that naming him could seriously affect his mental health. Medical reports from two psychiatrists supported claims that he would be unable to take part in the trial if identified in the media.
On Thursday, Judge Andrew Palmer ruled the order was no longer needed. He said the focus on Silvagni online and the fact he had already been found guilty meant suppressing his identity no longer served the administration of justice.
“Although it cannot be published that Mr Silvagni is the man convicted of rape it is a matter of common knowledge within Melbourne,” Judge Palmer said.
“At some point he will have to reconcile himself to the reality that he has committed these offences and there is media interest,” he told the court.
Silvagni attended the hearing by video link from custody. His parents, who had supported him throughout the trial, were not present.
His barrister asked for more time to argue that naming him could still put his safety at risk, but the prosecution said the order had run its course. Judge Palmer refused to delay and gave Silvagni until 4.30pm to appeal. No appeal was lodged.
Silvagni was found guilty of twice raping a woman in January 2024 after hosting friends at his home in Melbourne. The woman had consensual sex with her boyfriend at the house shortly before 2am. After the man left, the court heard Silvagni lied and told her he would be coming back upstairs because an Uber had been cancelled.
Instead, Silvagni entered the dark bedroom, pretended to be the boyfriend and digitally raped her twice.
“Tom I know it’s you, you’re the only guy left in the house,” the woman said in her evidence.
He later forged an Uber receipt to make it look like the boyfriend had left after 2.30am. Silvagni admitted forging the document but said he did it because he panicked after being wrongly accused of rape. The jury rejected this, finding him guilty on both counts.
Silvagni reacted with shock when the verdicts were read, grabbing his head and rocking in his chair. His mother could be heard crying softly in court.
He was taken into custody after the verdict, with the judge saying a jail term “must be imposed”. The maximum sentence for rape in Victoria is 25 years.
Silvagni will return to the County Court on Friday when lawyers will make submissions on sentence.
Images: Nine News
Support is available from the National Sexual Assault, Domestic and Family Violence Counselling Service at 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732).
