(Terence Darrell Kelly. Picture credit: The Guardian)
*Please be aware that some of the details shared in this post will be quite disturbing. I have aimed, as always, to be as sensitive as I can be with the details whilst not taking away from the facts of the case. If you would like to discuss this post or any of the other cases that I have covered on this blog, please feel free to email me at jocaledoniankitty@gmail.com*
Isn't it crazy how social media has become such an every day thing in our lives? Even old school people who tried to avoid being a part of it had to join in eventually. I get the latest news from X (Twitter - I still call it Twitter) and literally everyone that I know has some form of social apps on their phone. Everyone seems to have Facebook, even the ones that hate it. Some people have Facebook but never use it and prefer being on another social platform. Everyone has their favourites and for me, it's X/Twitter. So being online over the years, you don't need me to tell you that there is quite a few people on these platforms that are 'a few sandwiches short of a picnic basket' shall we say.
All jokes aside, you get your usual perverts (and that's scary enough....I don't even want to tell you some of the horrific things I have seen and heard, the most unbelievable and strangest sexual fetishes right through to so many monstrosities that I won't even mention, you get the drift).
You get your harmless oddballs and your potentially dangerous oddballs and sometimes it is difficult to decipher who's harmless and who isn't. Step forward a Mr Terence Kelly from the beautiful country of Australia (I've written a few cases out of Australia lately, go check them out if you haven't already done so), who shocked, not just Australia but the rest of the world when it was revealed that he had abducted a 4 year old girl from a campsite. That just there is terrifying enough but we thank the lord that the little girl known as Cleo Smith, was found alive after being held captive by Terrence for 18 days. The monster even followed the girl's family on social media and watched as they frantically searched and appealed for information, knowing full well that he had taken this poor child from her devastated family.
The fact this beautiful child was found and returned safely into the arms of her family, was such a miracle and a blessing because we all know how horrific these types of situations can go. I've written about a number of cases involving child abduction and murder, and it never gets easier, it always haunts me. 18 days with this utterly strange individual and it must have been terrifying. In a strange place with a strange man and far away from your parents, it must have been such a fright for little Cleo but she was such a tough little thing, she endured it and powered through. She was a lot stronger than most adults and I'm so glad that she was found.
Terence Kelly's home demonstrated that the guy's state of mental health was way worse than anyone thought. After a thorough search of his home and online activities they found that Terence, who was in his 30's, was completely obsessed with Bratz Dolls! So much so that he had shelves full of them as well as stacks of merchandise. Bratz is a well known cartoon which is based on young girls who love fashion and glamour. The cartoon is aimed at young girls, not adults. Some adult women like to wear Bratz merch like t-shirts or dress up like them for Halloween but it's pretty much a child's cartoon and designed just to be for fun. For some odd reason Terence was obsessed beyond belief, he would wear Bratz T-shirts and take the dolls out with him in his car. He would talk to them, brush their hair, change their outfits and take selfies with them. He said that he loved hanging out with them at home. He actually made videos online of himself with the dolls.
I'm sure some people would have thought that the guy had issues and was harmless, but to me it just looks like red flags all over the place. What have I always said with these types of individuals, they start with the fantasies and then they want the real thing. For Terence, it was the cartoon, then he had to have the dolls and then he wanted his own real life doll so he snatched a terrified child away from her family. It was an evil and selfish act to have done such a thing as well as stalking her family as they searched for Cleo.
Again, I'm just thankful that Cleo was found and hopefully has been able to take steps to move on with her life.
A lot of people go through difficult childhoods and they don't go on to kidnap children. Terence did have a traumatic childhood and suffered a lot of physical and psychological abuse. It is believed that he created a fantasy life for himself (as abused children often do) as an attempt at coping with the difficulties in his life. He became fixated on cartoons and being so lonely and isolated, he felt that these cartoons were his friends. He was removed from his parents home at a young age and placed with another relative, his great-aunt. When she passed away, his feelings of isolation and loneliness just got worse. He was even more fixated on cartoons, toys and Bratz dolls as if he was trying to compensate for the childhood that was taken from him.
Terence pleaded guilty to Cleo's abduction and was sentenced to 13 years and 6 months (he maybe eligible for parole after 11 years and 6 months). He did try to appeal this sentence but this was dismissed. He is currently serving his sentence at maximum-security prison known as Casuarina in Perth (Western Australia).
This was another shocking case but thankfully one that ended on a positive note with Cleo being found. I do hope that Terence is able to receive the proper psychiatric help that he needs. With such a difficult upbringing, another bizarre fact about this story is that Terence is probably better off in a facility where he can be able to work through his trauma and difficulties. What are your thoughts on this case? Leave your comments below or email me in confidence at jocaledoniankitty@gmail.com
Further Reading & Sources:
- Terence Kelly: Article | The Guardian
- Terence Kelly: Article | The Independent
- Terence Kelly: Article | ABC News
- Terence Kelly: Article | The West Australian
- Terence Kelly: Article | BBC News
- Terence Kelly: Article | Sky News
I hope you will join me in my next post. In the meantime as always, I hope to see you on my Socials
Until next time, please stay safe and take care x
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