Cleo Smith Kidnapping Suspect 'Attacked In Custody Within Hours Of Arrest'

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The departure of Terry Kelly, 36, in an ambulance with a bandage covering his skull was captured on camera on Wednesday at the Carnarvon police station in Western Australia.

Police discovered 4-year-old Cleo in an empty property in the seaside town after she vanished from the campsite where she was living with her family 18 days earlier, leading to his arrest.

Late on Wednesday and once more on Thursday, the suspect was moved from a police holding facility to a hospital.

Reuters

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One of the prisoners, whose mother was also being detained in the holding cell at the time, allegedly beat Kelly after discovering who he was.

She told the Daily Mail: ‘As soon as he heard this bloke was arrested over that little Cleo, he blew up, beat him black and blue.’

‘I tell you what, he (Kelly) got real hiding…my son had to be taken out in shackles, and he (Kelly) was taken for treatment…he was in a bad way. He is a big bloke but he copped it.’

Reuters

#3

Western Australia Police refused to comment on the woman's allegations, according to a spokesman.

Detective Superintendent Rod Wilde, the case's principal detective, previously disclosed to 6PR: ‘My understanding is the man in custody self-harmed.'

He said: ‘Obviously in modern police stations, there’s CCTV in all the cells and everything else.’

7 News

#4

Wilde has confirmed that Kelly, who suffered unspecified injuries in the incident, later visited the police station to speak with officers.

The charges he will be facing have not been made public by the police, who stated they anticipate charging him on Thursday.

As Cleo was seen with a balloon while being held by her mother Ellie Smith, she returned to her laughing, bubbly self.

Reuters

#5

She may be heard stating "my name is Cleo" on an audio recording of the moment she was found, which sparked celebrations all around the world.

Detectives launched a frantic air, land, and sea search after she vanished because they thought it was already too late.

The family's tent was unzipped when Cleo's mother awoke at six in the morning on October 16 to discover her oldest daughter missing.

Reuters

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When the suspect was observed buying diapers and it was known that he didn't have any children, suspicions were raised among the locals, but police haven't provided much detail about what made the man a suspect.

‘It wasn’t a random tip or a clairvoyant or any of the sort of things that you might hear,’ Police Minister Paul Papalia said. ‘It was just a hard police grind.’

Cleo was found alone playing with toys less than a 10-minute drive from her home on Wednesday. A four-person police team used a battering ram to break into a locked house early that morning and free Cleo.

Getty Images

#7

Police acknowledged that "seasoned detectives" were "openly crying with relief" after learning she was "alive and well." The discovery of her sparked joy.

Ellie, Cleo's mother, wrote on Instagram once the tragedy was over, "Our family is whole again."

After being on edge for weeks following the girl's disappearance, their little community of Carnarvon was soon decorated with balloons and "welcome home" signs as locals rejoiced the good news.

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Detective Cameron Blaine, one of Cleo's rescuers, claimed that when he visited the family on Wednesday after she was discharged from a brief hospital stay, she seemed to be handling the situation well.

“It was heartwarming to see her interact and play in the backyard and just being herself and around her parents,” he said. ‘I’m amazed she seems to be so well-adjusted and happy.’

Police have stated that they think the kidnapping was 'opportunistic' and unplanned.

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Cleo Smith Kidnapping Suspect 'Attacked In Custody Within Hours Of Arrest'

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