A Queensland man who abducted a girl from a Kmart and sexually abused her in bushland has been sentenced to eight years’ prison.

Sterling Mervyn Free, 27, lured the girl from a Kmart store at Westfield North Lakes, north of Brisbane, in December last year.

He took her to bushland about 30 minutes away, sexually assaulted her and returned her to the centre more than an hour later.

The girl’s mother had been waiting for her daughter in the centre of a busy toy section as the girl selected a toy.

When the mother raised the alarm with security, CCTV footage was located of Free leading the child out of the store.

When she returned, her mother noticed two long scratch marks down her back, which the child refused to explain. She also would not tell police.

Free’s actions were described as opportunistic and predatory during his sentencing hearing in the Brisbane district court on Friday.

Judge Julie Dick noted Free later told police his actions made him feel “sick and disgusting”.

Previous court hearings have been told Free is a pornography addict with a paedophilic disorder who was himself abused.

Dick sentenced Free to eight years’ imprisonment with a parole eligibility date of August 10, 2021. The 306 days Free had spent in custody counted as time already served.

Outside court, Free’s lawyer Shaune Irving read a statement from his client apologising for the “pain I caused her (the victim), her family, and my own family and my children”.

“I today accept the punishment imposed upon me by the justice system,” the statement read.

“I do not wish to cause any further pain upon the young victim, her family nor delay justice any further.”

“I took away her innocence and scared her family. I hope that today my sentence provides her and her family some closure,” the statement read.

“I can only ever say sorry. I know this is not good enough. I cannot imagine the pain and fear I’ve caused. I can’t take that back.”

The girl’s mother said in a statement before the hearing no sentence would ever make up for the trauma to her daughter.

“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 in the statement.

“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.”