Cleo Smith Kidnapper Pleads Guilty To 4-Year-Old’s Abduction Months After She Was Found Alive In His Home
25.01.2022 - 23:55
/ perezhilton.com
The man responsible for 4-year-old Cleo Smith’s 18-day disappearance in Australia last year has pleaded guilty to abducting her from a campsite in October.
On Monday, Terence Darrell Kelly signed onto a virtual court appearance in Carnarvon, Australia, from a maximum-security prison, according to multiple outlets. During the hearing, he admitted to abducting the little girl, pleading guilty to a charge of forcibly taking a child aged under 16. He now faces up to 20 years in prison. The case has been transferred to the District Court of Western Australia with a hearing set for late March.
More legal trouble awaits the 36-year-old, as well. He did not enter a plea to two additional charges, including the assault of a police officer. A sentencing date for those chargers has not been announced.
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As we reported, Cleo went missing from her family’s campsite on October 16. Police believe that Smith was taken from the campsite to Kelly’s home and was already locked inside by the time her mom and stepdad, Ellie Smith and Jake Gliddon, woke up at around 6 a.m. to find her missing, thus making it even harder to track her down.
A nationwide search began as cops did everything in their power to find the little girl, including almost taking the case international when they feared she could have been brought out of the country. A $1 million reward helped draw more attention and they were able to find the “needle in the haystack” they were looking for, WA Police Commissioner Col Blanch said in a press conference in early November:
Smith was found just 62 miles from the campsite and only streets away from her home. It remains
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