
Cleo Smith's alleged abductor faces court.
The man accused of abducting four-year-old Cleo Smith from her family's West Australian campsite will return to court next month after being refused bail.
Terence Kelly, 36, appeared before a magistrate in Carnarvon on Thursday charged with various offences including forcibly taking a child under 16.
Kelly, who is alleged to have acted alone, has no connection to Cleo's family and was not on a list of known sex offenders in Carnarvon.
Cleo was found alive and well early on Wednesday, 18 days after she went missing from her family's tent at the remote Blowholes campsite.
The man accused of abducting four-year-old Cleo Smith has been identified. https://t.co/ZLtpZMEBzj
— Mamamia (@Mamamia) November 4, 2021
She was rescued from a property just minutes from her family home in Carnarvon, a coastal town almost 1000km north of Perth.
Police forced entry to the home and found Cleo alone in a room, physically unharmed and playing with toys.
Kelly, who is yet to enter a plea to his charges, was arrested on a nearby street around the same time.
Cleo was pictured smiling in the arms of her mother Ellie Smith on Thursday as they travelled to the local police station.
It's understood Cleo was set to speak to specialist child interviewers for the first time.
Homicide detective Cameron Blaine, who was among Cleo's rescuers, said she appeared to be holding up well.