Man, 26, is charged with kidnapping a girl, 7, from a Kmart before sexually assaulting her

A man has been charged with kidnapping a seven-year-old girl from a Kmart store before sexually assaulting her in bushes nearby.

The man will front court on Tuesday charged with taking the girl from a Westfield shopping centre in North Lakes, north of Brisbane.

The alleged abduction was mentioned in a mother’s Facebook post which warned parents to keep a close eye on their children during the frantic Christmas shopping season. 

The 26-year-old man allegedly lured the girl from her mother when she was out of sight at a Kmart store.

He then allegedly drove her to bushland in Pumicestone Passage before sexually assaulting her.

After the assault, the girl was driven back to the shopping centre and left there. 

The man has been charged with taking a child for immoral purposes, deprivation of liberty and indecent treatment of a child under 12. 

He will face court on Tuesday, a Queensland Police spokeswoman told Daily Mail Australia.  

In the Facebook post which went viral, a mother shared her account of the alleged abduction.

‘A young girl was abducted from the shop and her mum was right there. The mum was looking at something and the child was bringing toys to her mum to show her which ones she wanted for Christmas,’ the post read.

‘Then all of a sudden she stopped coming back so mum looked and she was gone. They searched and called police. She was gone for 1.5 hours before she was returned.

‘The police searched video footage and saw a man take her and return her 1.5 hours later. She was dazed and appeared drugged.

‘Please please please do not leave children even for a second… This is way too close to home for me. I am always out with the two kids and would be a perfect target when I get distracted by one child and the other doesn’t have my attention.’ 

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