Australian Author Convicted Over Novel Containing Child Abuse Themes

Darwin, 10 February :

An Australian romance writer has been convicted on multiple charges related to child abuse material after authoring a controversial novel that authorities say sexualised children.

Lauren Ashley Mastrosa, 34, a Sydney-based Christian romance writer, was found guilty on three counts of possessing, producing and distributing child abuse material during proceedings at a Sydney court on Tuesday. Mastrosa wrote under the pen name Tory Woods and is the author of the banned novel Daddy’s Little Toy, also referred to as Daddy Dom.

The 210-page book tells the story of Lucy, an 18-year-old woman who engages in age-play and sexual role-playing as a child with a significantly older man. The court heard that the narrative and presentation of the book created explicit depictions that simulated sexual activity between an adult male and a young child.

Magistrate Bree Chisholm said the novel “objectified children in a sexualised manner” and presented readers with “graphic imagery of an adult man engaging in sexual conduct with a young child.”

The book’s cover was described in court as being designed in pastel pink tones, with the title displayed using children’s alphabet blocks—elements the magistrate said reinforced the illegal nature of the content.

The court found that Mastrosa knowingly possessed, promoted and produced child abuse material through the writing and marketing of the novel. In March, she distributed a pre-release version of the book to 21 advance readers before police received a formal complaint regarding its content.

Following a search of her western Sydney home, police arrested Mastrosa and seized 16 hard copies of the novel, which were deemed offensive.

Mastrosa has been remanded following the conviction, with sentencing to be handed down at a later date.