By GREG ANSLEY
CANBERRA - A 10-year-old Queensland girl is today back with her parents after an abduction and rape with chilling overtones of the murder of British girls Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman.
A Gladstone couple were yesterday remanded in custody on multiple sex, abduction and conspiracy to murder charges
after police found the girl in a raid on their home late on Monday night.
The girl, who is believed to have played at the couple's house earlier in the day, disappeared after leaving her nearby home to visit a friend.
Like Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, the girl lived in what is regarded as a quiet, safe suburb - in the north Queensland port and tourism centre - and knew her alleged abductors.
A neighbour is reported to have seen the girl in the backyard of the couple's house playing with their children, aged 9 and 11, before she was reported missing.
The couple were described as "weird - but nobody thought 'weird' like that".
The girl was last seen at 4.15pm when she left to visit her friend. She was reported missing by her frantic parents at 7pm.
She was found when police raided the couple's house at 11.15pm.
Police said the girl was in a distressed state and had received medical treatment and counselling.
The names of the girl and her alleged assailants have been suppressed.
Yesterday a man, 39, and a woman, 41, appeared in Gladstone District Court on 16 charges.
They have been jointly charged with conspiracy to commit murder, torture, attempted sodomy, five counts of indecent assault, three counts of rape, three counts of attempted rape, one count of deprivation of liberty and one count of assault.
No date was set for a further hearing, but the couple are expected to appear again within the next two weeks.
