Prominent Australian author Craig Silvey has been charged with possessing and distributing child exploitation material.
Silvey, 43, had a search warrant issued at his Fremantle home on Monday, 12 January, where detectives allegedly found him “actively engaging with other child exploitation offenders online”.
“He was immediately arrested, and his electronic devices were seized,” a Western Australia police spokesperson said.
He appeared before the Fremantle magistrates court on Tuesday, 13 January, charged with distribution of child exploitation material and possession of child exploitation material.
No pleas were entered and Silvey was granted bail with conditions, and a $100,000 personal undertaking and a $100,000 surety.
In WA, child exploitation material refers to any material, including images, videos, writings, or data, that depicts or describes a person who is under 16 in a sexual context or being subjected to abuse or cruelty.
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Silvey is an award-winning writer best known for his coming-of-age works Jasper Jones and Runt, which have both been adapted into feature films and garnered critical acclaim. He has twice been named one of the Sydney Morning Herald’s best young Australian novelists and is a patron of the City of Subiaco’s Craig Silvey Award for Young Writers.
The Western Australian began his career as a young adult author, with his works featuring prominently in Australian education. Both Jasper Jones and his award-winning book Honeybee are frequently included in school curricula and national reading lists.
He grew up on his parents’ apple orchard outside Dwellingup, a rural town south of Perth, before moving to Fremantle at 17 where he wrote his debut novel, Rhubarb.
The WA police spokesperson said the investigation was ongoing and urged anyone with information to contact police.
Silvey’s publisher, Allen & Unwin, said on Tuesday night that it was aware of the “deeply distressing” charges and would pause promotional activity of his work while the legal process took its course.
Silvey was scheduled to appear in court again on 10 February.
- with AAP
