CONTENT WARNING: This article discusses rape.
Tom Silvagni, the son of AFL great Stephen Silvagni, has been identified as the man convicted of raping a Melbourne woman after a gag order was lifted in the case.
The County Court of Victoria lifted a suppression order on identifying Tom earlier today, allowing his name to be shared in the media. That decision came after a jury found him guilty on two rape charges on December 5.
Tom is the youngest son of former Carlton player Stephen Silvagni and TV personality Jo Silvagni. Tom’s grandfather, Sergio, was also a two-time premiership player for the Blues, while his older brother Jack will play for St Kilda in 2026.
During the two-week trial, the court heard that in January, 2024, Tom impersonated his friend, crept into a woman’s darkened bedroom and raped her twice.
The judge in the case, Andrew Palmer, said the request to suppress Tom’s identity was no longer necessary given the guilty verdict. “Eventually the suppression order will have to be lifted, it will not go on forever,” Palmer said, per the ABC.
“At some point he will have to reconcile himself to the reality that he has committed these offences and there’s a media interest in them and there are consequences,” the judge added.
Tom’s lawyers argued earlier this year that “reputation to the family” was the “core driver” behind the gag order, adding that social media “chatter” about Tom’s connection to the case was different from him being named officially in the media.
The trial covered the events of January 14, 2024, when, after a night of drinking, Tom went to bed while his friend and another woman woman had consensual sex in a nearby room.
The court heard that after his friend left, he then entered that room, posing as his friend, and digitally penetrated the woman without her consent. The court heard that the woman asked him to stop, with prosecutors describing his actions as rape “through deception”.
Prosecutors also accused Tom of attempting to cover-up the incident, which the judge said was “deliberate conduct” that added to the seriousness of the offending.
The jury delivered guilty verdicts after a day of deliberations. Tom will appear in court tomorrow via video link for his sentencing hearing.
In Victoria, the maximum penalty for rape is 25 years, with the charge carrying a standard sentence of 10 years.
Lead image: 9News
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