The state’s corrective services minister is reviewing the case of a man who was on parole for Illawarra sex crimes when he allegedly raped a child at a Kogarah dance school on Thursday.
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Anthony Peter Sampieri is recovering at St George Hospital after a Good Samaritan allegedly caught him naked in the dance school’s bathroom, in the process of interfering with a seven-year-old child.
News.com.au reports the girl spent 30 minutes alone with the convicted sex offender before the man – the parent of another pupil – interrupted.
There is nothing of a similar nature in the offender’s past and I can be satisfied that it was very much out of character conduct, influenced by his apparent out of control addiction to ice.
The 54-year-old is accused of stabbing the parent before a second rescuer arrived and beat him so badly police have so far been unable to charge him.
The allegations come six years after Sampieri lured a 60-year-old woman into his Elliotts Road, Fairy Meadow unit and sexually assaulted her.
Court documents reveal the 2012 attack occurred as Sampieri was in the midst of a “sex binge”, blitzing women whose photographs and contact details he had found in the newspaper with explicit phone calls.
He faced eight charges for those calls, in which he asked the women “can I stick my tongue in your a---hole?” and shared other explicit fantasies.
Sampieri pleaded guilty to four charges including aggravated sexual assault.
Sentencing Judge Paul Conlan noted the offence attracted up to 20 years’ imprisonment, but he handed down a maximum seven-year term, and Sampieri spent less than five years behind bars before he was released on parole on September 7 last year.
Minister for Corrections David Elliott called for an urgent briefing at the weekend after learning of Sampieri’s past.
“I am deeply troubled by the events under investigation at the Kogarah dance studio,” he said.
“This offender was on parole and was subject to a number of strict conditions. As community safety is paramount, I have asked for an urgent brief on all the circumstances which led to the offender being granted parole.”
On October 22, 2012, Sampieri lured a 60-year-old woman into his home, telling her he had two tables for sale.
The woman inspected the first of the tables in the lounge room, telling him it was junk worth only $5. He ushered her into a bedroom to inspect the second table, which she also valued at $5.
He then turned on her with a ten-inch bladed knife at his side and said, “now we’ll have some fun”.
The woman told him her husband was in the car.
“No, he’s not,” Sampieri replied.
He forced her onto the bed and ordered her to take her clothes off and perform fellatio. She refused and was instead made to handle his penis.
He subjected her to several intimate acts, at one point involving a cake of soap, then forcibly performed cunnilingus on her.
The woman managed to escape by running to the front door and making a few steps to a neighbouring unit. Sampieri followed her out and tried to drag her back inside.
She was injured as she grabbed onto the security grill and screamed, causing Sampieri to release her. She then ran to the street and called for help. She was wrapped in a towel and had blood trickling from her nose as she was was helped by neighbours.
Judge Conlan found that gaffer tape, wire and cable ties left at the bed and under the pillows were clear evidence that Sampieri had more serious offending planned, but was interrupted.
“It was only to the strength, courage and fortitude of the victim that apart from the act of cunnilingus, she avoided any further penetration of her body,” he said.
“It was no doubt a terrifying and degrading experience for the victim, who will most likely suffer psychological and emotional scarring for the rest of her life.”
Judge Conlan gave Sampieri a 25 per cent discount on his sentence in exchange for his early guilty plea.
In further reducing the sentence, the judge noted Sampieri’s relatively clean criminal past, which included fines for offences including drug possession and custody of a knife in a public place.
“There is nothing of a similar nature in the offender’s past and I can be satisfied that it was very much out of character conduct, influenced by his apparent out of control addiction to ice,” the judge said.
The court heart Sampieri was the son of migrants, who attended Christian Brothers Manly and left school in year 10. He described an extremely unhappy childhood due to “threatening discipline imposed by his father” and an adult life marked by a repeated pattern of drug abstinence and relapse.
He began drinking alcohol at 12 and later became addicted speed and heroin.
His longest period of abstinence was in the 1990s when, in the ACT he was employed as a youth worker and started a family.
He was later diagnosed with hepatitis C and received a disability pension.
He moved to Wollongong in 2000 and had a number of hospital admissions in 2005 for depression and thoughts of self harm.
He overdosed on Oxycontin and amphetamines in February 2010.
He was considered a high-risk patient due to his history of anxiety and depression and continued treatment
The court heard he had little memory of the 2012 sex assault as he’d been on a long crystal methylamphetamime binge and was drinking and taking Valium. He said the offending came at a time when he had not slept in weeks, had stopped seeing his psychiatrist and ceased medication. The court noted he repeatedly expressed remorse and disgust for the 2012 attacks, telling his doctor: “I have never had a history of violence towards anyone – I am extremely ashamed and remorseful over this crime. I believe I would not have committed any such offence if I was sober and clean. I’m nowhere near the point of forgiving myself for hurting and innocent victim … I know I have traumatised her. I have myself been traumatised once I recognised what I had done after being told about it by the police and reading the victim’s statement”.
He also described ice as “a sexual drug” and said it blurred the line “between what was acceptable and unacceptable”. He said he didn’t have access to treatment programs in jail because he was in protective custody.
The sentencing judge considered testimonials confirming he had not exhibited any violent tendencies in the past. “On the contrary, he was usually a polite and gentle person,” the judge noted.
One referee told the court Sampieri was “sleepy, sedated and not motivated” when he used heroin, but radically different when he used ice.
“Anthony advised me on several occasions that since he commenced using ice, that he was displaying bizarre behaviour and that from time to time he would slide into depression and go into sexual binges and seek sexual gratification which would last for a few days at a time,” the referee wrote.
Sampieri’s psychiatrist told the court it was “highly unlikely” he would re-offend “If he remains off drugs and under psychiatric support while on probation and parole when released from jail”.
The judge concluded Sampieri had “reasonable prospects of rehabilitation”.
“For one who has had such a longstanding problem with drugs, his record is remarkable for his lack of criminal offending,” he said.
“Both his evidence and the material placed before the court satisfies me that he is truly remorseful for his conduct and has displayed real insight in respect of the impact of his crimes upon the victim.”
The judge ordered Sampieri to serve a minimum four years’ imprisonment from October 22, 2012, plus an additional term of up to three years on parole.
He became eligible for parole on October 21, 2016 but was only released on September 7 last year.
His entire sentence was to expire on October 21, 2019.
A State Parole Authority NSW spokeswoman confirmed parole was revoked on November 15 following an alleged breach of the conditions, which include that he abstain from alcohol and drugs and participate in programs and counselling as directed.
The spokeswoman said parole was granted as it was his first period of adult incarceration, he had demonstrated satisfactory prison performance and had participated in relevant programs and/or counselling, including a sex offender program.
Keira MP Ryan Park has spoken in support of a review of Sampieri’s case.
“The community have a right to know what the hell this alleged offender was doing on bail given their criminal history,” he said.
“As a father of a young boy, nearly the same age as the victim I am absolutely appalled and sickened by these allegations.
“It’s quite obvious the system is not working and I support calls for a full review.”