Scandal Tom Silvagni convicted of rape

[thumbs_up]

Ah wait, so Jo and Stephen weren't even present in court to hear the victim's impact statement? And then came out to disavow the victim and the court.

How callous.

I suppose it makes it easier to "defend" their angel, Tom Silvagni the convicted rapist, if they don't have to hear the impact of his actions.

How is this admirable?! He is basically saying my POS son hasn’t done anything wrong! If he accepted the verdict and his son’s guilt he could still stand by him but he’s not doing that.

I'd guess the parents have been enabling their son's behaviour all his life, letting him absolve responsibility all his life.

Perhaps that laid the foundations for him to think he can do whatever he wants to others without consequences.

There's a cautionary tale to all us parents who have boys under 18. Let's make sure we're having conversations with them, asking them what they're attitudes are towards women, sex, consent.

Hold them accountable when they stuff up rather than turning the other cheek.

I do believe calling SOS and Jo evil though is incorrect. I think spineless is closer to the bone here.

 

[chippie]

I am a rape survivor (from more than one person). I am not detailing my experiences but you never get over it.

Some of the comments in here and on Facebook are actually making me feel sick and upset. I am going to have to step away from reading anything further.

There's a female perspective for you.

Neese out

I’m sorry for you Neese. What POS did was disgusting and his parents not accepting it is gross too. I get why someone who has suffered the trauma of rape wouldn’t want to relive the whole thing again through court ( I know they are reliving it most days anyway ) That girl was brave for standing up and going through the court process and hopefully the Silvagni’s at some stage will rightfully feel the shame they should and move on, rather than continuing to try and protect their reputation.

 

[Gavin Excell]

Exactly this. "Being a father" or "supporting your son" is not the equivalent of defending them to the end, in spite of the victim and the evidence. Supporting TS to learn from their mistakes. Supporting TS to take responsibility. Supporting TS through the difficult many years he is going to be incarcerated, and his life subsequent to parole.

Not ignoring the victim, and making stupid public statements as today essentially indicating they will fight it to the bitter end in denial.

Unless they (parents) genuinely believe he's innocent

 

[Mitchell Madness]

People smashing SOS need to first confirm if they have kids before posting coz you dont understand unless you have kids

If your son says he didnt do it you believe him

If my daughter committed a serious crime AND the evidence was that clear, I wouldn't disown her, id still love her, but I have enough common sense not to get infront of a camera and declare her innocence

 

[chickenonachain]

I reckon he will get three months jail possibly suspended.
I can’t believe anyone would impersonate being someone else just to get in his mates girlfriends pants. Seriously what the hell was he thinking

 

[gordo2016]

People smashing SOS need to first confirm if they have kids before posting coz you dont understand unless you have kids

If your son says he didnt do it you believe him

All depends how much your son has lied in the past. My son has given me that much BS in his life to cover his tracks that If he was found guilty by a jury, I would probably believe the jury.

 

[Sentinel]

Daily Mail reckons the SoS clan sold their Balwyn North house in mid 2024 (a few months after charges laid) and are planning a move to Qld.
If you believe anything the Daily Mail prints, then SoS will surely quit the club?

Stephen, Jo Silvagni finally move Balwyn North home

The Hosken Street home was listed in February with an $8-$8.8 million guide. EXCLUSIVE Former AFL player Stephen Silvagni and television personality, Jo Silvagni, have finally moved their Balwyn North family home. The Silvagnis built

www.realestatesource.com.au

Sold 05/06/2024 but first listed 20/02/2024. The rape happened (at this house) in January 2024. Charges were apparently laid mid-2024 (not sure when exactly) so may or may not be related to the court case. I'm sure those legal fees won't have been cheap though.

https://www.onthehouse.com.au/property/vic/balwyn-north-3104/25-hosken-st-balwyn-north-vic-3104-20210421

 

[jaggathebagger]

5 years sound about the right sentence. All of a sudden , what appears to be the perfect family is not so perfect. Fully understand the parents being there for their kid, but the trust has completely evaporated now given the stain against the family name. No winners in these situations.

 

[10571z]

If he is convicted he has to shut up, if he said that whilst he was convicted its a different story imo

Put yourself in SOS shoes, what would you do? You protect your son at all costs

My son could kill someone and I would still be in his corner, rightly or wrongly

Gee I dont agree with that.

 

[chippie]

no he wont. he defending the person, not the action. As expected from a father

No, he is defending a convicted rapist. Simple

 

[deck]

If my daughter committed a serious crime AND the evidence was that clear, I wouldn't disown her, id still love her, but I have enough common sense not to get infront of a camera and declare her innocence

Would've been the smartest thing to do. Just don't comment at all.

 

[chippie]

People smashing SOS need to first confirm if they have kids before posting coz you dont understand unless you have kids

If your son says he didnt do it you believe him

Really!? I have a 16 year old son. He has tried to pull the wool over my eyes many times ( as I did to my Dad when I was a kid ) and I’ve called him out on it many times. I still love him but never excuse his behaviour if I don’t think it’s right. I think the blindly believing “my son is perfect and couldn’t possibly have done anything wrong” is a big part of this whole situation from the beginning

 

[Pragmatic Shill]

Until the appeals are finished he could be telling the truth.

You have really been working overtime to muddy the waters in this thread and try to paint some picture of doubt - not sure I've seen you once condemn the actions this man has been found guilty of. Almost like you're leaning in to the remote idea that he's been falsely accused of rape without saying it explicitly, despite there being no evidence of that being the case.

It's like on the Collingwood board when people have raised instances they feel there is a racism element and you immediately pipe up with "don't say it's racist, it takes away from real instances of racism," but there never seems to be those so-called real instances you keep referring to.

 

[Warhorse]

Burden of proof seems low for a conviction nowadays. I wonder if it will be appealed and overturned.

 

[1970crow]

Unless they (parents) genuinely believe he's innocent

I can 100% understand that going in, but surely they have doubts by now.

 

[thumbs_up]

Burden of proof seems low for a conviction nowadays. I wonder if it will be appealed and overturned.

The proof is there. I think what you're actually trying to say is "I can't believe someone actually got convicted of rape". How dare they!!

 

[Gavin Excell]

Burden of proof seems low for a conviction nowadays. I wonder if it will be appealed and overturned.

There have been changes to the way Victorian system in relation to rape cases. Its not perfect but seems an improvement. Below summarises


The reforms focus on the legal framework surrounding consent, the judge's role in guiding juries, and procedural changes to the court process.

Jury Directions on "Beyond Reasonable Doubt": Judges are now required to explain the meaning of "proof beyond reasonable doubt" to the jury in all criminal trials, including sexual offence cases. This change, based on recommendations from the Victorian Law Reform Commission (VLRC), is intended to address potential juror confusion and ensure consistent application of the standard.Affirmative Consent Model: The Justice Legislation Amendment (Sexual Offences and Other Matters) Act 2022 introduced an affirmative consent model which took effect from July 30, 2023.This legislation clarifies that an accused person's belief in consent is not reasonable unless they said or did something to find out whether the other person consented.Previously, the law only required that the steps taken to determine consent were "relevant" to the assessment of "reasonable belief". The new provision creates a stricter requirement for the defence to prove the accused took active steps to confirm consent, which impacts how the "reasonable belief" element is assessed by the jury.

 

[The Golden Glenferrie]

The cynic in me believes bloke will get a slap on the wrist and a redemption arc by AFL land. They'll put their arms around him and get him back on his feet. Hell, this might be the best thing for Tom!

A plum job awaits somewhere and a true gentleman failing upwards.

 

[Gavin Excell]

The cynic in me believes bloke will get a slap on the wrist and a redemption arc by AFL land. They'll put their arms around him and get him back on his feet. Hell, this might be the best thing for Tom!

A plum job awaits somewhere and a true gentleman failing upwards.

He's not a player though

 

[1970crow]

He's not a player though

He’s a player agent though, or works in that industry.

 

[thumbs_up]

The cynic in me believes bloke will get a slap on the wrist and a redemption arc by AFL land. They'll put their arms around him and get him back on his feet. Hell, this might be the best thing for Tom!

A plum job awaits somewhere and a true gentleman failing upwards.

Channel 7 commentary team awaits.

 

[Mitchell Madness]

Read a news snippet that said Sylvania was also expelled from Xavier College when he was 16. The news article was deliberately vague as he was under age, but it alludes to an incident of a similar nature

 

[Mister Carlton]

People smashing SOS need to first confirm if they have kids before posting coz you dont understand unless you have kids

If your son says he didnt do it you believe him

People smashing SOS because he’s been a POS for many years. This is the final straw.

His legacy is dead.

 

[Bjchan13]

Was that actual evidence in court? If so, you’d wonder how his parents could continue to believe in his innocence.

Should back it up a bit, it hasn't actually been reported that Tom directly asked the mate to lie for him. He asked for the mates uber receipt which he edited and then sent back to him (this is where im assuming he was indirectly asking his mate to lie for him in regards to the time he left the house). There are also messages between Tom and his mate, and the mate and the victim that have been reported (both confirm the mate had left and was at home already) which support her story and not Toms.

Who knows exactly how it went down in court

 

[Gavin Excell]

People smashing SOS because he’s been a POS for many years. This is the final straw.

His legacy is dead.

I remember reading when Jack played his 100th game, he didnt want to attend his celebratory function post game and sat it out in the car park. I get you can leave a place not on best terms, but surely you swallow your pride and be there for your son. Sometimes its not about you.