A prominent Perth chef has been sentenced to 7½ years in prison after he was found guilty of the rape of a woman, and admitted to the indecent assault of two others.
Maurizio Di Ciano, the former head chef and owner of No Menu Finest Italian in Highgate, was charged in 2021 with three counts of sexual penetration without consent, nine counts of indecent assault and four counts of common assault over an incident the prior December.
Maurizio Di Ciano of No Menu.
He took the case to trial earlier this year, but was ultimately found guilty of three charges of sexual penetration without consent, with the court told how he targeted women aged in their 20s and 30s at his workplace.
In September, Di Ciano also pleaded guilty to two counts of indecent assault in relation to another two women.
One 21-year-old gave evidence about a work trial she attended at No Menu after Di Ciano, then 47, approached her at Crown Towers about a job.
She told the court she felt “uncomfortable” during the trial as Di Ciano sat close to her and placed his hand on her upper thigh.
She reported the incident to police after she saw news reports of similar incidents involving a restaurant owner and guessed it might be him.
Di Ciano was also convicted after he “slapped the ass” of another 33-year-old employee, laughing afterwards.
Thirty minutes later he did it again, and she asked him to stop, but the next day he used a frying pan to touch her inappropriately for a third time. The woman reported him to the police on the same day.
Di Ciano was sentenced to 7½ years in prison for the offences, backdated to July 2024. He will be eligible for parole in 2030.
With 6PR