Craig Silvey was once a bestselling author. He is now behind bars after sending disturbing messages describing his sexual interest in young children.
The disgraced young adult novelist was sentenced to seven months in prison on Monday after pleading guilty to distributing and possessing child exploitation material.
The 44-year-old had numerous sexually explicit images and videos involving children and adults stored on his laptop and mobile phone, the WA District Court heard. The material was discovered when police raided his Fremantle home.
Silvey, a father of three, also exchanged messages with another user on a pornography website, where he used the handle Jimmy, Jimmy, Jimmy.
During the conversation, Silvey described himself as a “Fremantle guy” and told the other user: “You sound amazing… we have very similar interests, would love to chat more; do you have Signal or Session?”
The conversation later shifted to an encrypted messaging app. There, Silvey described himself as “extremely open-minded and obsessed with taboos”, said he preferred boys aged five and above, and added that “eight was the perfect age”.
“I want to make out with little ones,” the author wrote in one message.
“I haven’t had any experience, I’m sad to say.
Disgraced young adult novelist Craig Silvey (centre) was jailed on Monday after pleading guilty to distributing and possessing child exploitation material
“I’m a bit obsessed.”
Silvey, who has been shortlisted for both the Miles Franklin Literary Award and the International Dublin Literary Award, also wrote that he was “drooling” over a sexually explicit image depicting a naked man and boy together.
“I f**king love pedo-mum stuff,” he wrote.
He also said: “I love, love, love, love mums being intimate with little boys. I think it’s the sexiest and most beautiful thing in the world.”
Prosecutor Daniel Harrop said a generation of children, especially vulnerable young people grappling with questions about gender identity and sexuality, had found a sense of safety in Silvey’s books. His offending, he said, had shattered that trust.
Judge Hayley Cormann described the offending as extremely serious and disturbing.
“This offending involves children, and it is destructive, and it is devastating,” she said.
“Your communication was open, it was assertive, and it was unmistakable.
Judge Cormann found Silvey’s (above) crimes were repulsive and degrading and said the consequences of his abuse would have a long-lasting impact on his victims
“You did this as a means to engage with others, and ultimately as a means to sexually satisfy yourself as part of your fantasies.”
Silvey’s lawyer argued that the writer did not have a sexual interest in children, claiming instead that his behaviour was an attempt to escape the pressures of his life.
But Judge Cormann rejected this, saying his crimes were repulsive and degrading and the consequences of his abuse would have a long-lasting impact on his victims.
‘You acknowledge you have devastated and betrayed the trust of thousands of people, and you have let an entire community down,’ she said.
‘For the victims of this type of offending, it is real, and they are traumatised.’
The award-winning author pleaded guilty in January. He is best known for his 2009 coming‑of‑age novel Jasper Jones, considered a modern Australian classic and adapted into a feature film and several stage productions.
He has also been widely recognised for other books, including Rhubarb, Honeybee – which won the Australian Indie Book Award in 2021 – and the children’s novel Runt, which was also made into a film.
Publishers Allen & Unwin and Fremantle Press, which released Rhubarb, stopped promoting his books after Silvey was charged and most of his titles were removed from reading lists across the country.
The 44-year-old author (books above) was found with numerous sexually explicit photos and videos of children and adults on his laptop and mobile phone
Two charges of producing and possessing further child exploitation material were dropped in May.
Silvey was made eligible for parole.
1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)
National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028
Lifeline 13 11 14
Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800 (for people aged 5 to 25)