A Sydney paedophile who raped a seven-year-old girl in the men's bathroom of a Kogarah dance studio while on parole has been diagnosed with liver cancer, forcing his sentencing to be delayed until next year.
The diagnosis was revealed by Acting Judge Paul Conlon in the NSW District Court this morning when Anthony Sampieri was due to be sentenced.
The 55-year-old had a bad reaction to chemotherapy and now requires insulin at the Prince of Wales Hospital in Sydney's east.
The court was told the cancer was "confined to the liver", and that Sampieri was also required to see a psychiatrist next week.
Sampieri is now due to be sentenced on January 30, 2020.
In June, Sampieri pleaded guilty to 10 charges, including having sexual intercourse with a child under 10.
Sampieri grabbed the girl, punched her in the face and threatened her with a 14-centimetre-long knife before dragging her into a toilet cubicle in November last year.
He then wrapped a black cord around his victim's neck before raping her and filming the sickening attack, which lasted around 40 minutes.
Diesel mechanic Nick Gilio helped rescue the girl from Sampieri, but was stabbed in the abdomen and had the back of his neck slashed.
"The trauma and physical effects from that evening are what keep me awake at night ... the flashbacks never seem to stop," Mr Gilio previously told the court.
Jeffrey Stack, who works as a dentist in the same building, raced upstairs and knocked Sampieri out in the bathroom, resulting in his arrest.
Sampieri was free to roam the streets
Sampieri was on parole after serving time behind bars for raping a 60-year-old woman in her Fairy Meadow home in October 2012.
Weeks before the attack, Sampieri made around 100 lewd phone calls to women, including a real estate agent, who described her anguish to a hearing last month.
"I had a feeling this guy was bad. I was shaking and crying ... I feared for my life," she said.
An ice-creamery worker, a 71-year-old community choir treasurer, a chaplain and 20 other real estates were among the 91 victims of Sampieri's sexually-explicit calls.
Despite the real estate agent reporting the incident to NSW Police, Sampieri continued to freely roam the streets of southern Sydney.
Senior Constable Andrew Bruce, 32, was later charged with neglecting his duties for failing to properly investigate Sampieri.
It is alleged he failed to alert the parole board about the phone calls and ignored warnings about the notorious paedophile on a police database.
Senior Constable Bruce was suspended on full pay and has since pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Senior Constable Bruce is due to face court again April 2020.
