SYDNEY: A man was sentenced to 13 years and six months in prison after kidnapping a four-year-old girl from a remote Western Australian (WA) campsite. Terence Kelly, 37, pleaded guilty last year to kidnapping Cleo Smith in October 2021 from her family’s tent.
Cleo was discovered alive 18 days later at Kelly’s house, minutes from her own home, after a massive police search. Kelly was arrested and later confessed to child stealing in a case that drew international attention. Chief Judge Julie Wager, who handed down the sentence at Perth District Court, said the crime demonstrated “the highest level of seriousness.” Kelly will be eligible for parole after serving more than 11 years.
According to the court, Kelly kept Cleo at his house for 18 days, in a bedroom with a door modified to be lockable from the outside. He turned on the radio to drown out the sound of Cleo pleading for her mother. Cleo’s parents said in an impact statement that the “permanent” trauma of Kelly’s behaviour had “ripped apart” their lives. They also expressed their hope that their daughter will “lead the best life” in the future.
The young girl had been staying in a tent with her family at a campsite about an hour’s drive north of her hometown of Carnarvon, which is located 900 kilometres (559 miles) north of Perth. Her mother last saw her when she awoke in the middle of the night and asked for a glass of water. Her mother discovered Cleo and her sleeping bag missing and the tent door open the next morning. Kelly removed Cleo from the tent “in relative silence” between 02.40 and 04.40, according to WA’s Director of Public Prosecutions Robert Owen. The investigation involved more than 100 police officers.
According to reports, a mobile phone number was traced to a phone tower near the campsite around the time of Cleo’s abduction. Officers were led to Kelly’s locked house in Carnarvon, where she was discovered alone inside at 01.00 local times. The young girl was seen on video identifying herself to officers and smiling.
Kelly told police at the sentencing hearing that he felt guilty for taking Cleo and had no intention of keeping her. According to the court, the offender suffered severe trauma as a child, which caused him to suffer from neurological impairment. He used methamphetamine and created a “fantasy world” to protect himself from reality.
