Disgraced author Craig Silvey jailed for child exploitation offences

D : Courts Craig Silvey arrives at court for a sentencing hearing over child exploitation material charges.  (ABC News: Cason Ho) Child exploitation material was found on Craig Silvey's devices. (ABC News: David Weber) Judge Cormann revealed that the user he was communicating with online was "fictitious". She accepted Silvey was "appalled" and "mortified" , was at a low risk of reoffending and had pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity. Judge Cormann said Silvey had sought to explain his criminal behaviour as a type of "role play", where he "went down into the dark", and got "smaller and smaller". She accepted he had experienced a "challenging time in recent years", financially, after a relationship breakdown with his brother, and losing his savings. Silvey displayed no emotion as the sentence was delivered. Author once beloved Silvey was one of Australia's most commercially successful and critically acclaimed authors.  His 2009 book Jasper Jones sold more than 600,000 copies worldwide and was made into a feature film.  Craig Silvey sold hundreds of thousands of books before his arrest over child exploitaiton material. (ABC News: Cason Ho) A 2020 book, Honeybee, was another best seller while his 2022 children's novel Runt was also adapted into a feature film.  His debut novel Rhubarb and Jasper Jones were both studied in high school English courses.  Silvey was charged with distribution and possession of child exploitation material in January. Further charges of possessing and producing child exploitation material followed, but after Silvey pleaded guilty to possession and distribution, the other charges were discontinued. Books pulled from shops Silvey's lawyer Eloise Barker said he had undertaken weekly psychological counselling since the end of January and had written a letter to the court displaying "genuine remorse". She claimed Silvey "doesn't have a sexual interest in children" and his desire for "the most depraved material" was a form of "emotional suicide". Ms Barker said the "high-profile" author, who was "known worldwide", had already suffered because of his offending, with his ex-partner and their young children moving from Perth to New South Wales. He had lost his publishing contacts and his books had been removed from shop shelves and school curriculums. Ms Barker said Silvey had been subjected to extensive media scrutiny. 'Great betrayal' But Mr Harrop said the state did not accept Silvey did not have a sexual interest in children. Mr Harrop said distributing child exploitation material continued "the cycle of abuse" and called for a harsh sentence to act as deterrent.