Cleo Smith found: Neighbour of Terry Kelly, 36, saw car full of dolls a week before he was charged
EXCLUSIVE: Neighbour claims he saw Cleo’s alleged abductor with a car FULL of dolls days after she went missing – as dramatic arrest footage emerges and heartwarming details of rescue are revealed
Neighbour claims to have seen accused Cleo Smith kidnapper with dolls in carTerry Darrell Kelly, 36, was charged with forcibly taking a child under 16 Police alleged he snatched the four-year-old from her family tent at campsite Taxi footage of the moment Kelly was arrested has been seen for the first timeWA’s top cop says he watched Cleo fall asleep in her mother’s arms after rescue
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The doll-obsessed man accused of kidnapping Cleo Smith was spotted just a week ago with a car full of children’s toys while the four-year-old was still missing, a neighbour has revealed to Daily Mail Australia.
Terence Darrell Kelly, 36, was charged with multiple offences including forcibly taking a child under 16 and appeared in Carnarvon Magistrate’s Court on Thursday barefoot and wearing a T-shirt.
Police allege Kelly, who boasted of his bizarre Bratz doll collection online, snatched the little girl from her family tent while she slept at the remote Blowholes campsite in Western Australia on October 16.
A massive state-wide investigation over 18 days eventually led detectives to a Tonkin Crescent property in Carnarvon where Cleo was found alone, with police reportedly waiting for Kelly to leave before they smashed their way into the home.
Kelly was bundled out of a car and placed in handcuffs shortly after the raid at 11.30pm on Tuesday, with grainy taxi footage revealing for the first time the moment he was arrested.
The state’s top cop said the unlikely rescue, brought about by tireless detective work, will go down as one of the proudest moments in WA police history.
Commissioner Chris Dawson said he will never forget the moment he watched little Cleo fall asleep in her mother’s arms moments after the pair were reunited.
In the close-knit housing commission community where Kelly lives, neighbours have been left scratching their heads at the revelation the ‘quiet bloke’ from their street is allegedly the man at the centre of the world’s biggest story.
He was known to buy girls toys including Disney Princess and Bratz dolls from the local Toyworld store long before he was arrested – even though he doesn’t have any kids – but locals assumed it must have just been for his extended family.
Cleo Smith’s alleged kidnapper Terry Kelly, 36, is pictured with Bratz dolls on his social media
Bizarre details have emerged about the accused’s strange obsession with toys as numerous social media accounts linked to Kelly show a room full of children’s dolls (pictured)
A massive state-wide investigation eventually led detectives to a Tonkin Crescent home in Carnarvon where Cleo (pictured with her mum Ellie Smith and stepfather Jake Gliddon) was found alone in the room of a rundown house
In various social media profiles, Kelly shares images of himself in a Bratz doll T-shirt along with other photos of an entire room full of dolls with the toys stacked from floor to ceiling.
More recent purchases, while Cleo was still missing, seem to have attracted the attention of police with the local toy shop asked to hand over CCTV footage.
Neighbour Henry Dodd claimed he saw the accused kidnapper with a dozen dolls in the back of his dark blue Mazda one week before his arrest, when police were desperately scouring the state searching for Cleo.
Mr Dodd said the brand new dolls were still in their packaging ‘as if they had been collected from the post office’.
Neighbour Henry Dodd (pictured) claimed he saw the accused child predator with ‘around ten’ dolls in the back of Kelly’s dark blue Mazda one week before his arrest when police were scouring the state searching for Cleo
Since Kelly’s (pictured with a doll) arrest, multiple social media accounts have emerged which allegedly belonged to him, where he boasts about his love for Bratz dolls
‘There were around ten or twelve dolls… and it looked like he had picked them up after they were delivered somewhere,’ he told Daily Mail Australia.
‘You could see them in their boxes like he ordered them online.
‘They were all piled in the back of his car.
‘I thought it was weird. But I didn’t know anything about him collecting dolls or anything. I didn’t know he had a whole room full of them in his house.
‘We didn’t know that until it (was reported) today.’
Mr Dodd also claims to have passed the observation on to Carnarvon Police.
The four-year-old is now back in the arms of her mother Ellie Smith after being rescued (pictured) with police saying she had fallen asleep moments after their reunion
Neighbour Mr Dodd (pictured) said the brand new dolls were still in their packaging ‘as if they had been collected from the post office’
Carnarvon Police declined to comment on Mr Dodd’s claim, saying only that ‘police have their own way of deciding what to follow up and not follow up on’ with regards to tips from the public.
Police have ruled out that the $1million reward for information about Cleo’s whereabouts be paid to anyone, with a spokesperson saying Kelly’s arrest came about solely as a result of police work and not one particular tip from the public.
Kelly was represented by a Geraldton Aboriginal Legal Service lawyer on Thursday afternoon in court, who appeared via video link and did not apply for bail.
The accused complained about the frenzied press coverage at the ‘open court’ asking the judge: ‘What the f**k are the media doing here?’
He then yelled ‘I’m coming for you!’
All of the windows at the home where Cleo was found (pictured) are completely blacked out – hidden from public view – and overgrown shrubs and bushes climb the walls of the housing commission home located in Tonkin Crescent
Junk was seen in the home’s backyard on Thursday morning, as police continued to look inside
A dark blue Mazda (pictured) was pictured at the house as forensic police scour the property
For the rest of the hearing Kelly did not show much emotion, taking several moments to acknowledge his name and only nodding to indicate he understood the kidnapping charges against him.
He was closely guarded in the dock by two police officers and wore his long, black, curly hair down.
Charges were finally laid against Kelly after more than 30 hours of interrogation by detectives who have been relentlessly pursuing the case in the frantic race to rescue Cleo.
The alleged kidnapper was rounded up by investigators just before midnight on Wednesday following a ‘tip off’ from the public that was corroborated with mobile phone data, police said.
Kelly was bundled out of a car before officers held him on the ground and slapped handcuffs on him.
Just an hour or so later, detectives executed a search warrant on the Tonkin Crescent property where they found Cleo awake and well.
Bodycam footage shows the brave little girl being carried out of the house, with her hair clean and brushed and her pyjamas also fresh.
The tight-knight community in Carnarvon (pictured) is still reeling from the shocking news
Locals have been left scratching at the revelation the ‘quiet bloke’ on their street is allegedly the man at the centre of the world’s biggest kidnapping story
TV news crews continue to broadcast from the scene where little Cleo was rescued after the case attracted the attention of the world’s media – but with many outside of WA banned from travelling there due to the state’s strict Covid restrictions
‘It was a day that will go down in history as one of the greatest triumphs for WA Police Force. For many officers, it will be the greatest day of their careers,’ Commissioner Dawson told the force’s internal weekly magazine From The Line on Thursday.
He recounted how he met Cleo along with her parents Ellie Smith and Jake Gliddon at the family home the day after she was rescued.
‘As Cleo and her mum were exchanging kisses and hugs she fell asleep in Ellie’s arms,’ Mr Dawson said.
‘None of us will forget that day. It’s why we join the police force.
‘From the bottom of my heart – which is so very swollen with pride – thank you to all… Enjoy this moment in history and let it carry you forward in service of our community.’
Homicide detective Cameron Blaine (pictured), who was one of the four detectives that freed Cleo from her 18-day nightmare, said he is amazed at how ‘well and happy’ she seems to be
Commissioner Chris Dawson (pictured) told reporters he will never forget the moment he watched little Cleo fall asleep in her mothers arms after she was saved
Homicide detective Cameron Blaine, who was one of the four detectives that freed Cleo from her 18-day nightmare, said he is amazed at how ‘well and happy’ she seems to be.
‘It was really heartwarming to see that she’s still bubbly and she’s laughing, he said.
‘She’s falling asleep in her mother’s arms. There was one occasion where she asked if she could lay next to mum and have Ellie look at her while she fell asleep.
‘It’s really good to see that she’s adjusted, she’s getting some sleep, she’s playing in the backyard exactly how you would expect.’
This is the first picture released of Cleo Smith, safe and sound in hospital, after she was rescued from a house in Carnarvon, in northwest Western Australia
Pictured: The community of Carnarvon is celebrating Cleo’s safe return home after the ordeal
