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Sydney Author Convicted Over Erotic Novel, Spared Jail, Placed on Child Protection Register

The judge said the passages created the image of sex with a young child to emphasize deterrence.

Overview

  • Lauren Mastrosa, 34, was sentenced Tuesday to an 18-month community corrections order after a recorded conviction that triggers eight years on the NSW Child Protection Register.
  • She was found guilty in February of producing, possessing and distributing child abuse material after the court ruled the book’s child role-play passages met the legal test.
  • Judge Bree Chisholm said the writing was explicit and graphic and created the mental image of an adult having sex with a very young child.
  • The defence argued she meant to write adult erotica, withdrew advance copies and has suffered job loss and threats, but the judge refused a non-conviction.
  • Prosecutors said such fiction can normalise exploitation, and the judge noted recent law changes that broaden the definition of child abuse material.