The heartbreaking moment an eight-year-old girl forcefully grabbed detectives’ hands after being rescued from her alleged kidnapper has been revealed.
The girl was allegedly taken by her 44-year-old father from a Child Safety Services Center in Maroochydore on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast on Thursday.
The man is alleged to have convinced his daughter to get into his blue Toyota Hilux before driving several hours from the government facility.
Police chased the pair to a rural property in Eerwah Vale with a helicopter, bear cats and tactical officers who arrived at the scene at 6pm.
After a tense standoff, the man finally freed his daughter, who was captured holding the hands of two detectives as they walked down a dirt road.
“The girls are safe… probably very traumatized,” a female detective is heard saying.
Moments later, his father is seen walking down the same road in handcuffs.
He was charged with child theft and criminal trespass – unlawfully entering or remaining in a dwelling or garden.
The heartbreaking moment an eight-year-old girl forcefully grabbed detectives’ hands after being rescued from her alleged kidnapper, her father, has been revealed.
A short time later, the 44-year-old man was led in handcuffs down the same dirt road.
He appeared at Maroochydore Magistrates Court on Friday, where police alleged the man had threatened to shoot police at the scene.
A magistrate refused his bail and he will appear in court again in 2025.
A statewide Amber Alert was issued after the girl’s alleged abduction was reported.
Reporters asked Queensland Premier David Crisafulli on Friday how the girl was taken from under the noses of staff at government facilities.
“It should be looked at, and I point it out and point it out: the matter is now before the courts,” Mr Crisafulli said.