He was once a best-selling author; now Craig Silvey is behind bars after he sent depraved messages about his lust for young children.
asserted
he → sell → children
The disgraced young adult novelist was jailed on Monday for seven months after pleading guilty to distributing and possessing child exploitation material.
asserted
novelist → jail → material
The 44-year-old was found with numerous sexually explicit photos and videos of children and adults on his laptop and mobile phone when police raided his Fremantle home, the WA District Court heard.
asserted
Court → find → home
Silvey, a father of three, also engaged in an online conversation with another user on a pornography website, where his handle was Jimmy, Jimmy, Jimmy.
asserted
handle → engage → website
In the chat, Silvey described himself as a 'Fremantle guy' before telling the user 'you sound amazing...
asserted
you → describe → user
we have very similar interests, would love to chat more; do you have Signal or Session?
asserted
you → have → Signal
The pair moved to an encrypted messaging app, where he said he was 'extremely open-minded and obsessed with taboos' and preferred boys aged five-plus before adding that 'eight was the perfect age'.
asserted
eight → move → boys
'I want to make out with little ones,' the author said in one message.
'
asserted
author → want → message
I haven't had any experience, I'm sad to say.
asserted
I → have → experience
Disgraced young adult novelist Craig Silvey (centre) was jailed on Monday after pleading guilty to distributing and possessing child exploitation material
'
asserted
Silvey → jail → material
Silvey, who has been shortlisted for the Miles Franklin Literary Award and the International Dublin Literary Award, also wrote he was 'drooling' over a sexually explicit photo of a naked man and boy together.
asserted
he → shortlist → man
'I f**king love pedo-mum stuff,' he said.
asserted
he → love → stuff
He also wrote: 'I love, love, love, love mums being intimate with little boys.
asserted
mums → write → boys
I think it's the sexiest and most beautiful thing in the world.'
asserted
it → think → world
Prosecutor Daniel Harrop said a generation of children, particularly vulnerable children grappling with questions of gender identity and sexuality, had found safety in Silvey's books and his offending had shattered it.
asserted
offending → say → it
Judge Hayley Cormann said it was very serious and very disturbing offending.
asserted
it → say → ?
'This offending involves children, and it is destructive, and it is devastating,' she said.
asserted
she → involve → children
Judge Cormann found Silvey's (above) crimes were repulsive and degrading and the consequences of his abuse would have a long-lasting impact on his victims
'
asserted
consequences → find → 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.'
asserted
You → do → fantasies
Silvey's lawyer claimed the writer didn't have a sexual interest in children and his behaviour was an escape from 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.
asserted
consequences → claim → victims
'You acknowledge you have devastated and betrayed the trust of thousands of people, and you have let an entire community down,' she said.
asserted
she → acknowledge → community
'For the victims of this type of offending, it is real, and they are traumatised.'
The award-winning author pleaded guilty in January.
asserted
author → traumatise → 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.
asserted
He → consider → film
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.
asserted
which → recognise → 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.
asserted
most → release → 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.
uncertain
charges → find → May
Silvey was made eligible for parole.
asserted
Silvey → make → parole
The Aporia
