Best-selling Australian author Craig Silvey has published a 9,000-word apology after receiving a seven-month prison sentence for child exploitation offences. In the statement, the novelist acknowledged his guilt and described a history of childhood trauma, shame and anxiety.
Silvey, 44, was sentenced on Monday after pleading guilty to possessing and distributing child exploitation material. He had been charged in January. His statement, published on Substack under the title “My Apology”, addressed his conduct, the harm caused by the material and the trust he had broken among readers.
The writer said that although finding words had generally come easily to him throughout his life, he struggled to express the extent of his remorse. “I am guilty of these offences,” he wrote. He described his involvement with the material as indefensible and acknowledged that it caused further trauma to victims while sustaining a cycle of harm.
A father of three, Silvey said his offending had betrayed thousands of people across Australia, including readers of his books. He acknowledged their reactions, which ranged from concern and disappointment to shock and disgust. He also rejected the suggestion that his conduct reflected an inappropriate attraction or that there had been sinister motivations behind his behaviour.
In explaining his personal history, Silvey said he had lived with trauma, shame and anxiety for much of his life. He disclosed that he had experienced trauma as a child and said a mental health crisis and a destructive breakdown had preceded his offending.
Police who searched his Fremantle home found numerous sexually explicit photographs and videos of children and adults on his laptop and mobile phone. Silvey also exchanged online messages with someone he believed shared his interest in child exploitation material. In those exchanges, he expressed a preference for boys older than five and described eight as the ideal age.
Silvey is best known for Jasper Jones, his 2009 coming-of-age novel, which had been regarded as a modern Australian classic. The book was adapted for a feature film and several stage productions. His writing has also earned shortlist places for the Miles Franklin literary award and the International Dublin literary award.
His other widely recognised works include Rhubarb and Honeybee, the latter winning the Australian Indie Book Award in 2021. He also wrote the children’s novel Runt, which, like Jasper Jones, was adapted into a film.
