Nov. 4 (UPI) — A man accused of kidnapping a 4-year-old Australian girl found alive after 18 days appeared in court Thursday on charges of forcibly taking a child under 16.
Terence Darrell Kelly, 36, did not apply for bail, nor did he enter a plea on the charges, Australia’s ABC News reported.
The West Australian newspaper said Kelly acted out in the Carnarvon court, taking issue with reporters in the courtroom.
“What the [expletive] are the media doing here?” he shouted.
Kelly is accused of snatching Cleo Smith on Oct. 16 while she and her family were sleeping in a tent at the Blowholes camping site north of Carnarvon. She was found Tuesday locked in a state housing commission house playing with toys.
Western Australian police described Cleo as “alive and well.”
Kelly lived in the house where Cleo was found, but he wasn’t at home at the time she was discovered. He was arrested nearby and has been in police custody for two days.
Detective Senior Sgt. Cameron Blaine, the officer who found Cleo, spoke to reporters outside the courthouse Thursday. He said he was glad to see Kelly appear before the court.
“It’s obviously a combination of lots of hard work and that’s what we’ve been here for, so yeah, it’s fantastic,” Blaine said.
“The matter is before the court so we’re not going to make any more comment at this stage.”
