Luigi Sbirziola: Narellan pharmacist convicted of child prostitution

The vile crimes of a Macarthur pharmacist convicted of repeatedly engaging in horrific child prostitution have been revealed in a hearing regarding his medical registration.

Luigi 'Louie' Sbirziola, 45, of Denham Court.

A Macarthur pharmacist jailed for prostituting children in a vile criminal spree has been banned from providing medical services for the next decade in a disciplinary hearing.

Disgraced former pharmacist Luigi Sbirziola went from a respected Camden business figure to a prisoner after he was found guilty in the Sydney District Court of three sexual offences involving teen girls.

On September 21 last year Sbirziola was found guilty of twice participating as a client in child prostitution and having unlawful sexual intercourse with a child who was cognitively impaired.

He was ultimately sentenced to an aggregate prison term of four years and nine months, with a non-parole period of three years and two months.

With time already served, Sbirziola was released to parole in July 2022.

Sbirziola had sought to cancel his own medical registration, but was unable to due to already being suspended in respect of his criminal charges.

On October 14 the Healthcare Complaints Commission acknowledged that if Sbirziola was still registered it would have cancelled him and then banned him from providing medical services for 10 years.

After that period Sbirziola is entitled to seek registration once again if he wishes.

The HCCC judgment unveiled horrific details of Sbirziola’s offending against the three teenage girls which landed him in prison.

Narellan pharmacist Luigi (Louie) Sbirziola.

In August 2018, the HCCC heard Sbirziola approached two girls at a shopping centre in Shellharbour in the state’s Illawarra region and offered them cigarettes in a discussion about engaging the girls in sexual activity for payment.

Between December 2018 and May 2019, Sbirziola engaged Person A – the 16-year-old victim of the first offence – in sex in exchange for hundreds of dollars and Gucci and Calvin Klein products including wallets, watches and handbags.

“Sbirziola engaged in sexual activity with Person A in various locations including hotels, a beach side home and at the practitioner’s own home,” the HCCC judgment states.

“Sbirziola was the instigator and organiser of the ‘sexual services’ including making reservations at hotels, text messaging Person A, and payment arrangements.”

In January 2019 Person B – the second victim, also aged 16 – was staying with Person A until they had a falling out.

“Sbirziola offered Person B the sum of $300 and said that he would drive her home if she had sex with him,” the HCCC judgment states.

“Sbirziola drove Person B for a short distance and then had penile/vaginal intercourse with her in his car.”

On March 29 the same year, Sbirziola approached Person C, a 14-year-old girl with a mid-range intellectual disability living with an out-of-home care provider in Sydney’s southwest.

After asking her for a light or if she smoked “weed”, Sbirziola drove the girl to a storage facility in a nearby suburb and took her upstairs to an office with a large stock of perfumes and sex toys.

Sbirziola then sexually assaulted the girl, paid her $800 and gave her a bottle of perfume.

Person C was questioned by a police officer the following day and divulged the full extent of her assault by Sbirziola, before undergoing a sexual assault examination at Liverpool Hospital.

A subsequent report disclosed semen found on Person C matched Sbirziola’s DNA.

Sbirziola was then arrested and charged in May 2019, when the HCCC states he then failed to notify the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency he was facing charges within seven days as legally required.

The Denham Court man was a proprietor pharmacist who co-owned three pharmacies in Narellan when he was charged, sending shockwaves through the Camden business community.

He obtained his Bachelor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Sydney and was first registered as a pharmacist in December 1996.

After his release on parole Sbirziola faced Campbelltown Local Court where an order was made forbidding him from seeking or undertaking “paid or voluntary work” that brings him into unsupervised contact with anyone under 18.