Craig Silvey, author, jailed for 'repulsive' child exploitation crimes

Australian children's author Craig Silvey has been sentenced to seven months in jail for possessing and distributing child exploitation material.

Judge Hayley Cormann called Silvey's actions "repulsive" and “degrading” when handing down his sentence this week.

In January 2026, Silvey, 44, was arrested after police raided his home in Western Australia and seized several electronic devices. In May, the writer pleaded guilty to possessing and distributing child exploitation material.

He was then jailed pending his sentencing, which was handed down this week.

Craig Silvey jailed for child exploitation material

Silvey is known for his award-winning young adult novel Jasper Jones and children's book Runt; both being later made into movies.

"You have devastated and betrayed the trust of thousands of people, and you've let entire communities down," Cormann said on Monday.

Silvey's crimes include online chats, in which he discussed child exploitation, - some active until the moment his house was raided.

The court was told that Silvey had described himself as "extremely open minded" and "obsessed with taboos".

He'd discussed his sexual interest in children as young as five with another user of a pornography site, and detectives found images and videos of other adults abusing children on his devices.

Silvey's   lawyer said he did not have a "sexual interest in children" and was seeking out "the most depraved material" as a form of "emotional" self harm.

She said Silvey was genuinely remorseful, and that his high profile had led to his former partner and children relocating interstate.

Judge Cormann was not sympathetic, and found: "These children, the victims of this type of offending, are real and are traumatised… the consequences for them from these abuses are long lasting and very, very traumatic,"."

Silvey was sentenced to seven months in jail, backdated to 22 October. 

The former glory of Silvey's literary success

Silvey's has been a beloved Aussie author since publishing Jasper Jones, which sold more than half a million copies and was awarded the Book of the Year Award by the nation's peak publishing body in 2010.

Another of his noted works is 2022's Runt, about the adventures of an 11-year-old girl and her stray dog. It was also adapted for film in 2024.

Silvey is now officially cancelled, with his reputation ruined, and his books being withdrawn from schools and retailers.