Girl, 12, allegedly dragged from her bed by an intruder

A MAN will face court after allegedly breaking into a central Queensland home and attempting to abduct a 12-year-old girl as she slept.

A Gladstone girl was allegedly dragged from her bed by an intruder.

A 12-YEAR-OLD girl having a sleepover with two friends was allegedly dragged from her central Queensland home in a random abduction attempt on Sunday, police have alleged.

The girl was sleeping in her grandparents lounge room in Gladstone with two other girls, when a man entered the house through an unlocked back door about 1am Sunday.

Detective Inspector Darrin Shadlow alleged the man laid down on a mattress next to the 12-year-old, before touching her on the outside of her pyjamas.

He then allegedly dragged the pre-teen from the lounge room to the backyard, where her screams, and the screams of her two friends, alerted her grandfather.

The attacker fled when confronted by the grandfather.

A 24-year-old man has been charged with child abduction, assault, indecent treatment of a child and obstructing police.

Det Insp Shadlow said he was not known to the girl.

He had been visiting the Gladstone area from north Queensland, where he had been living in the Mount Isa and Townsville areas.

The police officer said the girl’s attacker fled the scene of the alleged attempted abduction.

The dog squad was called in to help with a manhunt that ensued after forensic evidence collected at the scene identified the 24-year-old as the alleged attacker.

Police attempted to arrest him at a home at Seaview Heights around 1.30pm but he escaped, sparking a large-scale search of the area.

He evaded police until about 8.15pm that night, when he was arrested after returning to a home across the street from the girl’s grandparents home.

The girl was left with minor cuts and bruises and remained shaken by the attack, Det Insp Shadlow said.

“She is obviously very shaken,” he said.

“For the three young girls having a sleepover, for this to occur is something you don’t imagine happening.”

The 24-year-old man was due to appear in Gladstone Magistrates court on Monday to face the charges.

Det Insp Shadlow said he had been staying at a home close to the girl’s grandparents home for a short while.

“The offender was living in the immediate area and did know of one of the young victims but was not personally known to her,” he said.