Sydney man gets life in prison for raping seven-year-old

  • February 12, 2020

Anthony Sampieri, the man who raped a seven-year-old girl in the bathroom of Kogarah dance studio in Sydney, has been sentenced to life behind bars.

The convicted rapist appeared in Downing Centre District Court on Wednesday, where he pleaded guilty to 10 charges, including three counts of sexual intercourse with a child under 10.

The court heard the 56-year-old, who was out on parole at the time for raping an elderly woman, dragged the little girl into the men’s bathroom at the dance studio in November, 2018. Sampieri tied a cord around the seven-year-old girl’s neck and hands and threatened the child with a knife during the abuse.

The child suffered a number of injuries, including bruising and swelling on the cheek, a cut on the inside of her left cheek, and bruising to her neck, arms, and body.

One of the parents of the rape survivor was slashed across the head and stabbed in the stomach after confronting the man. The court heard he is still recovering both physically and mentally following the incident.

It’s almost certain Sampieri, who has liver cancer, will die behind bars with doctors revealing he has a 60 per cent chance of surviving the next five years.