Australian Court Convicts Author Over Erotic Novel Deemed Child Abuse Material
An Australian author could be sentenced to jail after being found guilty of producing and disseminating child abuse material through an erotic novel that a court ruled sexually objectifies children. Lauren Mastrosa, a 34-year-old Sydney-based author who writes under the pen name Tori Woods, was convicted on three charges related to child abuse material for her novel Daddy's Little Toy.
Court Finds Novel 'Undeniably Offensive'
Magistrate Bree Chisholm of the New South Wales court delivered the verdict on Tuesday, describing the book as "undeniably offensive" and stating that it sexually objectifies children. The novel explores a sexual relationship between an 18-year-old character named Lucy, who is portrayed behaving like a toddler, and her father's 45-year-old best friend Arthur.
"The defendant has written a book that sexually objectifies children," Magistrate Chisholm said. "The reader is left with a description that creates the visual image in one's mind of an adult male engaging in sexual activity with a young child."
Details of the Novel and Trial
The book was published through an online pre-release in March 2025 and features a pink front cover with the title spelled out in children's colourful alphabet blocks. Throughout the novel, Lucy uses child-like language, wears children's clothing including nappies, and engages in child-like behaviour such as throwing tantrums and playing with toys.
During the trial, Mastrosa's barrister, Margaret Cunneen SC, argued that the character Lucy was explicitly portrayed as 18 years old and worked in a toy store. However, the magistrate rejected this submission, noting that despite references to her age, Lucy is depicted as a child in the context of sexual activity.
"I do not accept the submission that the character is not implied to be a child," Ms Chisholm said. "Importantly, those descriptions and language are used in the portions of the book to describe a character similar to a young child when the sexual activity is occurring."
Author's Background and Sentencing
Lauren Mastrosa, who works as a marketing executive for a Christian charity, attended the packed courtroom at Blacktown Local Court with her husband as the magistrate read details from the 210-page novel. The court found her guilty of creating, possessing, and disseminating child abuse material, noting that copies were sent to pre-readers and published in hard copy, though they remained in her possession.
After the verdict, Mastrosa left the court wearing sunglasses with her husband and lawyer without speaking to reporters. She remains on bail and is scheduled to be sentenced on 18 April, facing potential imprisonment.
The book includes trigger warnings for age-gap romance, kink, infantilisation, profanity, sexually explicit scenes, and sex-shaming, but the court emphasised that these did not mitigate the material's classification as child abuse.
