CLEO Smith's kidnapper was obsessed with Bratz dolls and had dozens on display in the house where she was rescued after 18 days.
Oddball Terry Kelly, 36, pleaded guilty to abducting four-year-old Cleo from a campsite in Australia – and now his "stepbrother" has been charged with kidnapping another girl in a separate case.
Cleo was carried to safety after cops swooped to arrest Kelly then searched his house in Carnarvon, Western Australia, in November.
It came 18 days after she was snatched from Blowholes Campground, around 43 miles from her family's home, also in Carnarvon.
After his arrest, disturbing details emerged about his interest in children's toys.
One of Kelly’s many social media profiles is a Facebook page devoted to his obsession with Bratz dolls, an American brand featuring scantily clad teenage figures.
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On the page, he posted a video of himself with a filter showing hearts with the words “I love my dolls”.
Another picture shows a room dedicated to the dolls, with shelves stacked to the ceiling showing a large number still in their boxes, the Sydney Morning Herald Reports.
Kelly is also pictured holding one of the dolls in each hand wearing a Bratz t-shirt with the words: “Nothing beats chilling at home with by Bratz dolls”.
Video also emerged of Kelly recording himself inside a room filled with dozens of dolls, some still in their packaging.
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He also uploaded photos to Facebook in April 2020 showing him taking a doll for a car drive.
“I love taking my dolls for drive around and doing their hair and taking selfies in public”, he captioned the post.
Police refused to comment when asked about the suspect's doll obsession and whether he might have used the toys to lure Cleo from her family's tent on October 16.
Cleo was discovered by police in the early hours of November 3 after they received a sudden tip-off about her whereabouts.
Officers used battering rams and crowbars to kick in the door to the house – which was just seven minutes away from where she lives with her family.
Cleo's mum cradled her as cops released audio of her first words after they rescued her in a dramatic swoop on a suspect’s house and asked her name.
“M-my name is Cleo,” she replies as one of the clearly relieved cops says “hello Cleo!" and another says "you're alright bubby".
Detective Senior Sergeant Cameron Blaine said Cleo was found in physically good health in a bedroom inside Kelly’s house, around seven minutes from her own home.
“The lights were on and she was playing with toys, I think that’s about all I want to say," the officer said at the time.
Kelly was charged with forcibly taking a child under 16, and pleaded guilty in January.
He is awaiting sentencing and faces up to 20 years.
In April Kelly was charged with a further ten counts of possessing child exploitation material – said to be unrelated to Cleo.
He has denied a separate charge of assaulting a police officer in the cells after his arrest in November.
Family link
Yesterday it was reported Kelly grew up in the same home as the suspect in a separate kidnapping case.
Ashley Bropho, 39, has been accused of luring a nine-year-old girl from a park then sexually abusing her at his home.
Police said he was interrupted by a visitor, and the girl was able to run away and alert her family.
Bropho was arrested shortly afterwards.
He is the is the biological grandson of the late Aboriginal elder Penny Walker, who took Kelly in when he was two because his mother “did not want him”, The West Australian reports.
Penny brought Kelly and Bropho up in the same house.
The link between them was brought up during Bropho's first appearance at Perth Magistrates Court yesterday.
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Lawyer Elliott Tilbury alluded to the fact there was a similar case with a family connection when he asked for order banning the reporting of Bropho’s name.
Magistrate Peter Malone denied the request, and remanded the suspect in custody until his next appearance later this month.
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