Craig Silvey charged over alleged possession and distribution of child exploitation material

Prominent Australian author Craig Silvey has been charged with possessing and distributing child exploitation material after a search at his Fremantle home, police said. Police issued a search warrant at Silvey’s Fremantle residence on Monday, 12 January, and 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. Silvey, 43, appeared before 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 he was granted bail with conditions, including a $100,000 personal undertaking and a $100,000 surety. Silvey is an award-winning writer best known for Jasper Jones and Runt, both adapted into feature films, and for Honeybee. He has twice been named one of the Sydney Morning Herald’s best young Australian novelists, is a patron of the City of Subiaco’s Craig Silvey Award for Young Writers, and began his career as a young adult author.

Jasper Jones and Honeybee are frequently included in school curricula and national reading lists. The WA police spokesperson said the investigation is ongoing and urged anyone with information to contact police.

Key Topics

Culture, Craig Silvey, Fremantle, Western Australia Police, Jasper Jones, Honeybee