Disgraced author Craig Silvey ‘drooled’ over child abuse photo as disturbing messages revealed for first time
Disgraced Australian author Craig Silvey is facing sentencing after pleading guilty to charges related to child exploitation material. Court documents revealed disturbing details about his online behavior and obsession with child abuse imagery.
Why it matters
The case has caused significant public shock due to Silvey's status as a prominent author whose works are used in school curricula.
WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT Disturbing details of disgraced children’s author Craig Silvey’s child exploitation offending have been revealed for the first time as he waits to learn his sentence. The WA District Court heard on Monday that the 44-year-old “drooled” over a sexually explicit photograph of a child and described himself as “obsessed with taboos”, including young children. The court was told Silvey started a conversation with another user on an adult website in January this year, telling them: “Fremantle guy here, you sound amazing ... we have very similar interests, would love to chat more. Do you have Signal or Session?” The pair engaged in a sexualised conversation, during which Silvey said: “I’m extremely open-minded, completely non-judgemental and I’m obsessed with taboos.” He said he “preferred” children over the age of five, adding that “eight was the perfect age”.
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