Cleo Smith’s alleged abductor is hit with a new charge

The man accused of abducting Cleo Smith has been charged with assaulting a public officer.

Terence Darrell Kelly, 36, allegedly took the four-year-old from a tent at the Quobba Blowholes campsite on October 16 and held her at a home in Carnarvon, north of Perth, for 18 days.

He will face Carnarvon Magistrates Court on January 24 for a number alleged offences, including forcibly taking a child under 16.

New court records show he has also been hit with an assault charge.

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Cleo Smith (pictured) was allegedly taken from her family’s tent while they were camping in November

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Terence Darrell Kelly (pictured) remains behind bars in a maximum-security remand prison in Perth

It is not known whether the charges relates to a prison or police officer. 

Following his arrest, Kelly bashed his head against a wall while he was in police custody, reports claimed.

He was flown to Perth on a chartered flight with officers from the Department of Justice’s special operations group.

The alleged kidnapper has not entered a plea or applied for bail.

Cleo was found alive and well in early November, almost three weeks after she went missing from the campsite.

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Cleo Smith (pictured in hospital after her rescue) was physically unharmed when police found her =

She was rescued from a property just minutes from her family home in the nearby town of Carnarvon.

Police forced entry to the home and found Cleo alone in a room, physically unharmed and playing with toys.

Kelly was arrested on a nearby street around the same time. He is alleged to have acted alone and is yet to enter a plea to his charges.

Police say he has no connection to Cleo’s family. 

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Cleo (pictured after her rescue) was found alive and well in early November, almost three weeks after she went missing from the campsite


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