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Acclaimed Australian author Craig Silvey likely spent the night behind bars after failing to post his $100,000 bail on Tuesday over child exploitation material accusations.
The Fremantle-based writer, 43, was arrested at his home on Monday after he was allegedly caught by detectives “actively engaging” with other child exploitation offenders online.
He’s accused of having conversations with paedophiles where he expressed a sexual interest in children and distributed child exploitation material.
During his first appearance in Fremantle Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, prosecutors alleged the Jasper Jones author had refused to provide police with his passwords to access his phone, laptop and other electronic devices.
He was granted bail on the condition he live with his mother and report to police three times a week, however he did not post his $100,000 surety after the court appearance, and was transported to prison a short time later.
If he is bailed at a later date, he will be banned from being unsupervised around children, including his own, and is forbidden from using the internet.
The charges have shocked the literary world, with Silvey’s publisher, Allen & Unwin, halting promotion of his books as state education departments pull his novels from school bookshelves.
In the wake of the charges, WA Education Minister Sabine Winton ordered schools to remove the author’s books from their English courses.
“Jasper Jones and Rhubarb by Craig Silvey are two of these texts, with Jasper Jones also being one of 40 suggested texts that may be studied in years 11 and 12 ATAR and General English Courses.
“I have asked the Department of Education to ensure that schools cease using texts by Craig Silvey for the 2026 school year while the allegations are under investigation.”
The City of Subiaco, which runs the Craig Silvey Award for Young Writers, said the author would have no affiliation with the awards this year.
Source: Craig Silvey child exploitation material charges: Jasper Jones author fails to post bail