Cleo Smith kidnapping: Man pleads guilty to abducting four-year-old

A man on trial for abducting four-year-old Cleo Smith from a remote Australian campsite confessed to her kidnapping on Monday, a surprise development in the case that garnered worldwide attention.

Cleo Smith kidnapping update

Guilty plea

Cleo Smith disappeared from her family’s tent in Western Australia in October 2021, sparking a major search operation which many feared would end in tragedy.

Smith was found 18 days later alone inside a locked house in the coastal town of Carnarvon, a short drive from where she went missing.

Her accused abductor, Terence Darrell Kelly, pleaded guilty to child stealing on Monday via video link from prison. 

Sentencing in March

Other charges have been adjourned, including a new charge of assaulting a police officer.

When the single charge was levelled at him, Kelly simply said: “Guilty.”

Kelly, 36, was remanded in custody until his next court appearance in March, when a date may be set for his sentencing and details of Cleo’s kidnapping are expected to be revealed.

He is alleged to have acted alone and police say he does not have any connection to the family.

Safely reunited

The case made headlines around the world and prompted widespread relief when Cleo was discovered and reunited with her parents in early November.

Police swiftly detained Kelly on a nearby street and he was remanded in custody after his first appearance in court. Bail was not considered when Kelly returned to court last month. 

Many had feared the search for Cleo Smith would end in tragedy, but the discovery of her “alive and well” sparked elation Down Under, with police admitting “seasoned detectives” were “openly crying with relief”.

Her mother, Ellie, posted on Instagram that “our family is whole again”.

Their small hometown of Carnarvon, which had spent weeks on edge after the girl’s disappearance, was soon decked out in balloons and welcome home signs as residents celebrated the news.

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© Agence France-Presse