Lauren Tesolin-Mastrosa pleads not guilty to child abuse material charges
A Sydney author charged with child abuse material offences over a taboo erotic novel she intended to publish has failed in her bid to have her case suppressed by a court.
Blacktown
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A Christian charity marketing executive charged with child abuse material offences over a taboo erotic novel she intended to publish has failed in her bid to have her case suppressed by a court.
Lauren Tesolin-Mastrosa, 33, was charged with possessing, producing and disseminating child abuse material over the intended publication of her fictional novel, Daddy’s Little Toy.
Readers who were asked to review the book allege it contains graphic references to an adult male character fantasising about an of-age woman when she was still a child.
Tesolin-Mastrosa, who goes by the pen names Tori Woods and Lauren Ashley, has since pleaded not guilty to all three charges.
The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions has now elected to prosecute the case, which is currently anticipated to proceed by way of a defended local court hearing.
Tesolin-Mastrosa was earlier granted an interim non-publication order over her entire case after The Daily Telegraph broke the story of her arrest and charges in March, citing embarrassment and the prospect of a fair trial.
News Corp Australia – including The Daily Telegraph, News.com.au and the NewsWire – successfully opposed the order before Magistrate Rami Attia at Blacktown Local Court on Wednesday.
Tesolin-Mastrosa’s solicitor Mickaela Mate told the court her client was suffering distress from being unfairly described as a “pedophile” online.
“It’s classified as child abuse material, but is completely different because there are no victims,” Ms Mate said.
“It’s a fictional novel, where they are consenting adults, it’s a particular trope, I don’t wish to say too much further about this.
“It’s a fiction, the matter is a fantasy within a fiction, there are no victims.”
Ms Mate said any association between Tesolin-Mastrosa and allegations of producing, possessing or disseminating child abuse material could cause her distress and embarrassment.
“All she’s done is written a fictional novel,” Ms Mate said.
“It was published on a site made available to advance readers.”
News Corp Australia’s counsel Matthew Lewis SC described any effort to suppress the case was “akin to King Canute trying to turn the tide”.
“It’s gone viral, it’s gone viral throughout the world,” Mr Lewis said.
“The horse has bolted – the image, name, facts, pen name, the book name is all gone, it’s already in the international community.”
On Wednesday, Mr Attia entirely dismissed any suggestion by Ms Mate that the case’s high profile nature was capable of influencing a magistrate presiding over the matter at hearing.
“The applicant has entered pleas of not guilty and it will proceed summarily in the local court,” Mr Attia said.
“The intimation a magistrate or judicial officer of the local court may be influenced by any publication is rejected.”
Mr Attia also cited a lack of “cogent” or “expert” evidence to demonstrate a degree of threat to Tesolin-Mastrosa’s safety or mental wellbeing that would justify the making of an order.The Daily Telegraph earlier revealed Riverstone Police Area Command detectives raided Tesolin-Mastrosa’s Quakers Hill home and seized multiple hard copies of the book for forensic examination before she was arrested and charged.
Tesolin-Mastrosa remains on strict bail which bans her from engaging in social media posting or any online activity “relating to any aspect of the matter for which she is currently before the court”.
The former journalist and media adviser has further been ordered to surrender her passport and not approach or enter any means of departing Australia, as well as be of good behaviour.
The BaptistCare marketing executive was also stood down from her role following the substantial social media furore over the book.
A brief was ordered for May 22, with the matter to return to court on June 5.
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