A vile paedophile who filmed himself raping a seven-year-old girl at a dance school has died in prison.

Anthony Sampieri was the first paedophile in Australia to be given a life sentence for sexually abusing a child.

The 57-year-old who was on parole at the time, attacked his victim at knifepoint in a men's toilet cubicle at the school in suburban Sydney, Australia, in November 2018.

He was jailed for life and had been suffering from terminal liver cancer at the time.

While it has not been confirmed how he died 9News reports that the inmate of Long Bay Prison died at 8.30pm on Sunday.

Sampieri had become the first paedophile in Australia to be jailed for life for sexually assaulting a child, setting a precedent for future cases.

It was not confirmed how he died but had been suffering with liver cancer (
Image:
9 News)

The self-confessed crystal meth addict, had threatened to cut the girl's throat if she made any noise during the attack at a Kogarah dance studio.

He wrapped a cord around her neck, bound her hands with a cord from her shorts and stuffed toilet paper in her mouth so she couldn't call for help.

He was tackled to the floor by mechanic Nicola Gilio, who was helping the girl's mum search for her.

Sampieri was on parole at the time for raping a 60-year-old woman at her home in Wollongong in 2012.

He made made 94 sexually explicit calls to women in the months before the attack on the seven-year-old.

During sentencing, Judge Paul Conlon said Sampieri showed a "complete lack of empathy for the child".

The judge said the attack could “only be described as any parent’s worst nightmare”.