- Australian novelist Craig Silvey, 43, has pleaded guilty to two charges of possessing child exploitation material, with prosecutors dropping two other charges, including an allegation that he produced such material.
- Silvey was arrested in January after detectives raided his Fremantle home, seizing electronic devices, following online communication with child exploitation offenders and his refusal to provide device passwords.
- His bail was continued on a A$100,000 surety, with conditions including reporting to police three times a week and not undertaking child-related work, and he is scheduled for sentencing on 3 July.
- In response to his guilty plea, schools in Western Australia have permanently removed Silvey's books from their curriculum, with the education minister stating there is "absolutely no place" for works by someone admitting such serious crimes.
- Silvey is known for successful novels like Jasper Jones, Honeybee and Runt, which were widely taught in schools and adapted for screen and stage, but publishers and bookshops have ceased promoting and selling his works.
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