The wife of acclaimed Australian children's author Craig Silvey has been seen in public for the first time since her husband's dramatic arrest on serious child exploitation charges earlier this week.
Family Emerges After Home Raid
On Thursday, Clare Testoni, a writer and puppeteer, was spotted outside the family's Fremantle home with the couple's three young daughters. This sighting came just days after police raided the property, 22km south of Perth's CBD, on Monday.
Ms Testoni, wearing a blue day dress and straw hat, was seen holding the hand of the couple's three-year-old daughter, Matilda, while carrying one of their nine-month-old twins, Hazel or Stella. The other twin was in a double stroller, shaded from the sun and pushed by an unidentified woman. The mother-of-three was later seen loading the pram into a car while wearing earbuds. There was no sign of the 43-year-old author.
Serious Charges and Bail Conditions
Craig Silvey, the author of bestselling novels Jasper Jones and Runt, was arrested after police allegedly found him 'actively engaging with other child exploitation offenders online'. Prosecutors claim some of the illegal material discovered was taken by Silvey in the home's office.
Court documents allege Silvey used the alias 'Jimmy Jimmy Jimmy' to communicate with other offenders on adult websites. He has been charged with one count of distributing child exploitation material and one count of possessing it.
Silvey appeared in Fremantle Court on Tuesday, where he was granted bail under strict conditions. Magistrate Thomas Hall approved a $100,000 surety and a $100,000 personal undertaking, stating that 'imprisonment is a likely outcome' of the case.
His bail conditions prohibit him from leaving Western Australia, engaging in any work involving children, and restrict his internet use to legal advice, banking, and medical purposes only. His lawyer argued the internet restriction was challenging for the self-employed author, but the magistrate directly addressed Silvey, stating, 'I'm sure you appreciate these are serious charges.'
Swift Fallout and Institutional Distancing
The allegations have triggered a rapid response from educational bodies and Silvey's own publisher. Western Australia's Education Minister, Sabine Winton, confirmed Silvey's books would be removed from the state curriculum for the 2026 school year, calling the allegations 'deeply concerning'.
Two of his best-known works, Jasper Jones and Rhubarb, were suggested texts for Year 11 and 12 students. The New South Wales education department also stated it would cease using his texts and remove his titles from school collections.
Silvey's publisher, Allen & Unwin, issued a statement expressing distress over the allegations and pausing all promotional activity for his work. 'Our thoughts and sympathies are with all survivors of child exploitation and their families,' the statement read, while acknowledging Silvey's right to procedural fairness.
Furthermore, the City of Subiaco council confirmed Silvey would have 'no affiliation' with its 2026 Young Writers Award, which previously bore his name.
Craig Silvey, whose novel Jasper Jones won the Australian Book Industry's Book of the Year Award and was adapted for film and stage, was due to publish another instalment in his Runt series in November. He is scheduled to face court again on February 10.
