Author who wrote ‘how-to’ for pedophiles arrested

The man behind a controversial book, considered a “how-to” guide for pedophiles, was arrested in Colorado, officials in Florida said Monday.  “You cannot engage or depict children in a harmful relationship,” said Polk County, Florida Sheriff Grady Judd as he described the Florida obscenity statute officials used to charge Philip Greaves with distribution of obscene material depicting minors engaged in conduct harmful to a minors.  The self-published author was arrested in Pueblo, Colorado on a Florida felony warrant after undercover detectives in Polk County purchased and received a copy of the book through the mail.  He will have to be extradited to Florida to face charges.

Judd said the book was Greaves last copy, which he autographed before sending it out.  Greaves and his book, “The Pedophile’s Guide to Love and Pleasure: A Child-Lover’s Code of Conduct,” gained national attention earlier this year after Amazon.com defended selling the book on its website despite angry comments and threats of boycotts from thousands of users.  The website pulled the book from its site in early November.

“He actually provided a how-to guide to commit sexual battery against children,” according to Judd, who said he was shocked and mortified by specific examples and illustrations using 9 and 13 year old boys.  Judd said he was frustrated that Greaves book was protected under freedom of speech laws, despite the fact that it was created “specifically to teach people how to sexual molest and rape children.”  “There may be nothing that the other 49 states can do, but there is something that the state of Florida can do,” Judd said, “that’s to make sure we prosecute Philip Greaves for his manifesto.”

Officials said the book talked about safe sex and avoiding injury to the child, grooming and preparing the child for sex, and teaching the children how to lie to their parents.  Judd said Greaves book outlines a “code of ethics,” which showed pedophiles how to look for the most vulnerable children.

As the sheriff explained,

“The message is very clear, if you write a book , if you sell that book, if you transmit that book to anyone in our jurisdiction, then we will investigate you and arrest, because our goal is protect the children.”