Cleo Smith’s alleged kidnapper on remand in Casuarina, WA’s toughest prison
Terence Darrell Kelly was surrounded by some of the state’s worst criminals as he spent his first night on remand in one of the country’s most notorious jails.
Cleo Smith’s alleged kidnapper has left behind the pastel colours of his children’s doll collection for the four blank walls of one of Western Australia’s most notorious jails.
Terence Darrell Kelly, 36, arrived at Casuarina Prison in shackles at 1.50pm on Friday, where he will be held on remand until at least his next court appearance in December.
The maximum-security jail is home to some of the state’s worst inmates, including Claremont killer Bradley Edwards and Dante Arthurs, whose horrific murder of an eight-year-old girl in 2006 sparked debate about bringing back the death penalty.
Bradley Edwards will remain behind bars for most of his life after the rape and killings of Jane Rimmer and Ciara Glennon in the mid 1990s.
The conditions inside Casuarina are a far cry from the quiet life Kelly lived in a public housing duplex, just a seven-minute drive from Cleo Smith’s family home.
Neighbours said he was a “quiet” man who did not have many visitors, and posts to his now-deactivated Facebook page show he had a keen interest in dolls.
Earlier this year, Rebels bikie Jason Kemp was bashed to near death inside the jail.
He was found unconscious with severe head and facial injuries after a brutal daytime beating. Kemp’s attack came after the public assassination of Rebels boss Nick Martin.
Earlier this year, now-retired Casuarina prison officer shared horrific revelations about the violence within the prison and sometimes fatal toll the job had on him and his colleagues.
Kelly, who is accused of taking four-year-old girl Cleo Smith from her family’s campsite at the Blowholes about three weeks ago, arrived at the jail after appearing in Carnarvon Magistrates Court.
He faces several criminal charges including one count of forcibly taking a child under 16.
During the short appearance, Kelly threatened journalists sitting in the open courtroom telling one of the reporters he was “coming for” him.
“He did point threateningly at several members of the media … and had a few choice words for me said in open court,” 7 News journalist Joseph Catanzaro said.
Kelly allegedly looked directly at the reporter, then said: “I’m going to get out of here one day. I’m coming for you.”
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Kelly made other outbursts during the hearing, including asking the magistrate: “What the f – k are the media doing here?”
Cleo was allegedly taken from her family’s tent while camping at Quobba Blowholes on October 16 and was rescued from a house in nearby Carnarvon just before 1am on Wednesday when detectives barged into the property.
Kelly had been pulled over by police earlier in the night and taken into custody. He was questioned for about 30 hours before charges were laid.