Mother of girl, 7, kidnapped in a Kmart toy aisle and molested by a paedophile father opens up on the terrifying moment she realised her daughter was gone
- Mother of a little girl kidnapped from a Kmart will 'never know' what happened
- The girl, seven, followed Stirling Free from the store to his car 'willingly'
- She was molested and dropped back to the Westfield where her mum found her
- He was sentenced to eight years behind bars but eligible for parole in 2021
Stirling Mervyn Free, a father of twin baby girls, was convicted of kidnapping and sexually assaulting the seven-year-old girl
The mother of a little girl who was lured away from a Kmart toy aisle and molested by a father-of-two says she will 'never know' the details of the sick attack.
Stirling Mervyn Free was convicted of kidnapping the child from the shopping centre in North Lakes, Brisbane, in December 2018 before driving her to remote bushland in Pumicestone Passage, where he sexually assaulted her.
The 27-year-old returned the little girl to the Westfield shopping centre, where her mother found her after a frantic hour-long search.
The woman told 7News she was running around the store looking for her daughter when she suddenly reappeared.
'I started going around the shop... went to the pet section, went through to the toy section but couldn't see her anywhere,' she said.
She never learned why her daughter was brought back to the store.
'We still don't know why she was returned, probably never will know,' she said.
The family also remain in the dark about what exactly Free said which made the seven-year-old follow him.
Stirling Free kidnapped the little girl from the toy aisle of Kmart in Westfield North Lakes in December 2018
'For whatever reason, she followed him quite willingly,' the mother said.
Free was sentenced to eight years behind bars, despite a Queensland judge describing his crime as 'abhorrent' and 'every parent's worse nightmare'.
The Brisbane man, himself a father of twin girls, will be eligible for parole from August 10, 2021, just two-and-a-half years after he was first locked up.
After the sentence was handed down, the little girl's mother released a statement saying Free 'tricked her [daughter] into following him'.
'My tiny innocent girl was well aware of stranger danger, however this person was friendly to her and tricked her into following him,' she said.
'No child should ever have to go through this type of trauma, and no sentence will ever be long enough to make up for the ongoing effects this will have on her.'
Kmart predator Sterling Free lured a little girl from the Kmart toy aisle and sexually assaulted her in bushland. Her family have now launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for her treatment
'We, as a family, remain positive and are trying to move forward. We would like to thank the Queensland Police Service, the Queensland DPP and the Australian public for their support throughout this ordeal'.
The court heard while driving back to the shops Free 'snapped out of it' and broke down in tears - 'feeling horrible' about what he had done and how the girl's mother would react. The little girl reportedly asked 'if he was okay' when she saw him crying.
In a GoFundMe appeal launched on behalf of her parents, an anonymous family member said the sentence 'showed little regard for the little girl's well being, now and in the future.'
The little girl was searching the toy aisles for a present while her mother stood nearby, when the predator led her away
The family are asking the public to donate to the fund to ensure she 'gets all of the assistance she needs in the future, whatever those needs may be'.
'This beautiful, tiny girl has a lifetime of recovery from trauma ahead of her and deserves to be compensated for her ordeal.'
All money raised in the campaign, which has a goal of $20,000, will go directly into a trust account set up for the seven-year-old for her to access for treatment as she gets older.
A spokeswoman for GoFundMe told Daily Mail Australia the fundraiser was being held anonymously to protect the girl's identity - but said they were in communication with the family.
Stirling Free leads the little girl away, in footage shown to the court. The court heard Free lurked in the Kmart toy section corridors before telling her to 'follow me'
CHILD PREDATOR STERLING FREE'S LETTER TO THE COURT
Child predator Sterling Free wrote a letter to the court, which was read out by his lawyer outside the court complex today
'I accept full responsibility for my actions against the young girl. I know the enormous pain I have caused her, her family, my own family and children.
'I today accept without reservation the punishment imposed by the justice system today.
'I do not wish to cause any further pain to the young victim or her family or delay justice any further.
'I cannot comprehend the pain that I have caused her. I took away her innocence and scared her family.
'I hope that today my sentence provides her and her family some hope for the future.
'I can only ever say sorry. I know that this is not good enough.
'I'm not looking for forgiveness but only to let you know the harm that I have done, the harm that I have caused.
'I cannot imagine the pain and fear I have caused. I can't take that back.
'To my family, the shock you have had to deal with, the public scrutiny was immense, my children deserve better.
'They will now grow up without a father and I can only blame myself. I cannot comprehend the damage I have caused. I will seek treatment to ensure this doesn't occur again.
'I am committed to using my incarceration to seek professional assistance that I duly require.'
