A notorious child rapist who punched and bound his victim in a Sydney dance studio bathroom has been diagnosed with cancer and won't be sentenced until 2020.
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Anthony Sampieri, dubbed the "monster of Kogarah", was due to be sentenced in the Downing Centre District Court on Monday for the November 2018 attack on a seven-year-old girl while he was on parole.
However, Acting Judge Paul Conlon told a packed courtroom Sampieri was in Prince of Wales Hospital undergoing chemotherapy.
He will now return to court on January 30 for a sentence hearing where the convicted rapist is set to give evidence.
Diesel mechanic Nick Gilio, who stopped the attack when he confronted the knife-wielding Sampieri, said he wanted to see Sampieri face justice and was frustrated his sentencing had been delayed.
"It is a little disappointing but I'm confident that in 2020 justice will be served to all of us," Mr Gilio said outside court.
"You never know, he could have his life sentence already. Let's hope he gets sentenced though."
Judge Conlon told the court that Sampieri was in hospital undergoing chemotherapy and was also receiving insulin injections because the cancer treatment had caused his blood sugar levels to spike.
Sampieri was on Thursday last week due to see a psychiatrist, who was set to prepare a report for the court, but missed the appointment because he was rushed to hospital.
The court heard that Sampieri had liver cancer, however it had not spread to other parts of his body.
Sampieri earlier in the year pleaded guilty to 10 charges related to the attack including three charges of sexual intercourse with a child under 10, which each carry a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
He also pleaded guilty to seven charges related to sexually explicit and harassing phone calls he made to women in the months before the dance studio attack.
Court documents state that after pushing the girl into a cubicle at a Kogarah dance studio and locking the door, he punched the seven-year-old.
After raping her once, Sampieri threatened her with a knife, tied a cord around her neck and dragged her to the male toilets.
"She felt like she could not breathe," agreed facts state.
Maintaining a grip of the cord, he then subjected her to further sexual acts before stuffing toilet paper into her mouth, binding her hands and leaving the bathroom.
During the attack, adults searching for the girl walked into the bathroom, prompting Sampieri to threaten to cut the girl's neck if she made a noise.
After grappling with Sampieri, Mr Gilio suffered large cuts but put the rapist in a headlock before dentist Jeffrey Stack ran in and knocked out Sampieri.
Mr Stack was present in court on Monday but declined to talk to the media.
Australian Associated Press