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West Australian author Craig Silvey has pleaded guilty to two child exploitation charges, while another two charges were dropped at a hearing in Fremantle on Tuesday.
The 43-year-old author was arrested in January over allegations he was actively engaging with other alleged child exploitation offenders online.
Silvey, best known for his 2009 novel Jasper Jones, was charged with producing child exploitation material, distributing child exploitation material and two counts of possession of child exploitation material.
In Fremantle Magistrates Court on Tuesday, one of the possession charges and the charge of producing child exploitation material were dropped, but Silvey pleaded guilty to another possession charge and the distribution charge.
Previous court appearances heard Silvey had expressed a sexual interest in children and distributed child exploitation material while engaging in online conversations over several days in January.
It was also alleged he had refused to provide passwords to police to gain access to his mobile, laptop and other devices after his arrest.
Silvey was granted bail on $100,000 surety on the condition he report to his local police station three times a week and was banned from any child-related work – including school visits.
In the wake of the charges, WA Education Minister Sabine Winton ordered schools to pull the author’s books from their curriculum, while other states swiftly followed suit.
Silvey has been writing for more than 20 years, with Jasper Jones selling nearly 1 million copies worldwide.
His 2022 novel Runt collected a number of awards and was adapted into a feature film in 2024.
He has three young children with his partner.
Silvey’s charges will now proceed to the District Court for sentencing.
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