‘A lifetime of trauma ahead of her’: Devastated relative of ‘beautiful, tiny’ seven-year-old schoolgirl sexually assaulted by Kmart predator launches fundraiser to give her a start in life
- The family of a child abducted from Kmart are raising money for her treatment
- Sterling Free, 27, was jailed for eight years for kidnapping and assaulting her
- Seven-year-old will be able to access the fund for treatment as she gets older
- Her family have described Free’s lenient sentence as ‘highly inadequate’
The family of a seven-year-old girl who was abducted from a Kmart toy aisle and then sexually assaulted in bushland are hoping to raise money for her future treatment.
Sterling Mervyn Free, 27, will be eligible for parole in just two years, despite a Queensland judge describing his crime as ‘abhorrent’ and ‘every parent’s worst nightmare’ during sentencing last Friday.
Tthe family of the little girl who was targeted in the sickening attack in Brisbane last year have now spoken out about the ‘highly inadequate’ sentence.
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.’
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’
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.’
Free is a father of twin baby girls
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.
Free, a 27-year-old father of twin baby girls, will be eligible for parole from August 10, 2021, just two-and-a-half years after he was first locked up.
He kidnapped the little girl from the toy aisle of Kmart in Westfield North Lakes in December 2018.
He took her to remote Pumicestone Passage about 30 minutes away, sexually assaulted her and returned her to the centre more than an hour later.
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.
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
The little girl reportedly asked ‘if he was okay’ when she saw him crying.
Free’s lenient sentence was condemned around the nation, with petitions created demanding the state appeal receiving thousands of signatures in a matter of days.
‘It is yet another pathetic example of how our legal system has very little to do with justice for survivors of crime and even less to do with protecting our children from known threats,’ one of the petitions read.
‘We… implore the QLD Attorney General Ms D’Ath, to appeal this sentence and show that we as a community are being heard, and our justifiable concerns are being addressed.’
Queensland Attorney-General Yvette D’Ath has 30 days to seek a review of the sentence.
The little girl was searching the toy aisles for a present while her mother stood nearby, when the predator led her away
Stirling Free kidnapped the little girl from the toy aisle of Kmart in Westfield North Lakes in December 2018
Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton also expressed his frustration over the lenient sentence.
He described it as ‘grossly inadequate’ and asked for the case to be appealed.
‘To have this young girl tried the way that she was by this animal is unacceptable. That he wouldn’t go to jail for a longer period of time doesn’t reflect community standards.
‘The community in Queensland, the ACT, anywhere across the country, expect our most vulnerable to be taken care of. It doesn’t send a message of deterrence to somebody who can assault a young child, an infant or a young girl and not receive an appropriate penalty’.
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.’