- Craig Silvey charged with possessing and distributing child exploitation material
- Arrest followed a police raid on his Perth home
- Police allege he was engaging online with other offenders
Award-winning Australian author Craig Silvey has been brought before a court in Western Australia, facing charges related to the possession and distribution of child exploitation material.
Silvey, who rose to prominence with his bestselling novel Jasper Jones, was arrested on Monday following a police raid on his Perth residence. Authorities allege that at the time of the operation, he was actively communicating online with other individuals involved in child exploitation activities.
The 43-year-old, a father of three, appeared before the Fremantle Magistrates Court on Tuesday, where he did not enter a plea and was granted bail.
Jasper Jones is widely regarded as a modern Australian classic, with sales exceeding half a million copies. The novel is frequently studied in schools and was adapted into a 2017 film starring Toni Collette. The book won the Australian Book Industry Award for Book of the Year and was shortlisted for both the International Dublin Literary Award and the Miles Franklin Literary Award.
Silvey also authored the 2022 novel Runt, which was adapted into a film featuring Celeste Barber. Its sequel, Runt and the Diabolical Dognapping, released late last year, became Australia’s top-selling children’s book, according to publisher Allen & Unwin.
