An Australian author has been found guilty of creating child sex abuse material in the form of an erotic age-gap romance novel.
A New South Wales (NSW) court heard the book explores a relationship between 18-year-old Lucy and her father's 45-year-old best friend Arthur - detailing the much-older man's desires which began when the protagonist was a child, as well as passages where she roleplays as a toddler.
Lauren Mastrosa, a marketing executive for a Christian charity, was charged after the book sparked outrage online. However, she argued that Lucy is clearly identified as an adult in the novel.
Magistrate Bree Chisholm found Mastrosa's story 'sexually objectifies children.'
Mastrosa, 34, issued an advance release of the novel - which the BBC has chosen not to name - to 21 readers last March before a complaint about its content was made to police.
Chisholm read the entire book, published under the pen name Tori Woods, and found that a reasonable reader would find it 'undeniably offensive.'
Throughout the novel, the protagonist uses child-like language, wears children's clothing, and engages in child-like behavior.
The magistrate concluded that any references to the character being 18 were insufficient to overcome the implication of her as a child.
Chisholm stated, '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.' She further noted that readers could visualize an adult male engaging in sexual activity with a child.
Mastrosa has been found guilty of one count each of creating, possessing, and distributing child abuse material. She is scheduled to return to court for sentencing on April 28.
Following her charges, BaptistCare announced that she had been suspended from her role pending an investigation.
