A 33-year-old Chinese national on a student visa has been identified as the man suspected of pouring hot coffee on a baby at a park – as police reveal the child will have injuries for life due to the horrific attack.
Nine-month-old Luka was on a picnic with his mother in Hanlon Park, in inner south east Brisbane, when the man approached them at about midday on August 27, poured the thermos of scalding coffee over the toddler and fled.
The baby suffered life-threatening burns to his face, upper body and arms and has undergone four operations in Queensland Children’s Hospital.
Police obtained a warrant for the man’s arrest for acts intending to cause grievous bodily harm, which carries a life sentence as a maximum penalty.
The man drove to NSW a day after the alleged attack before flying out of the country from Sydney on August 31.
Acting Assistant Police Commissioner Andrew Massingham told Radio 4BC on Thursday that the suspect’s name had been published in Chinese media.
Police said the 33-year-old man had no family or criminal record in Australia and had worked in Queensland, NSW and Victoria.
Daily Mail Australia understands he had been on a holiday visa since first coming to Australia in 2019, before switching to a student visa.
Police released this image of a man they wish to speak to in relation to the incident last week
He was reportedly born in Hangzhou, China, according to Chinese media.
‘Our international search continues for the person that committed that horrendous crime…we are very much committed to finding the individual responsible,’ Mr Massingham said.
‘That child will have those injuries for life.’
Queensland Police Detective Inspector Paul Dalton said the man fled the country just 12 hours after they identified him.
‘I was in the investigation centre when we put a name to the face and it was a very happy room, only for us to do a check in 15 minutes and find out we’ve lost him,’ he said.
‘We’ve got 30 detectives working for me. They’re devastated that they missed this person by 12 hours.
‘I was deflated, but that deflation quickly turns into determination and resilience to get the job done.’
The baby’s mother (pictured with her son) is suffering panic attacks in lieu of the attack
Baby Luka is expected to have lifelong injuries after the horrific act
The baby boy’s mother said it was some relief that the alleged attacker was no longer in Australia.
‘I had no idea where this person was, I didn’t want to leave this hospital because it became our safe space,’ she said.
‘Returning home I had panic attacks, and still continue to do so.
‘I do feel relief that he’s not in this country, in some sense, but I will always have fear and anxiety being out in public with my son – it’s affected my mental health for the rest of my life.
‘I just want to know why, why he did this. These are questions that may always be unanswered.’
Det Insp Dalton said he was still scratching his head over a possible motive.
‘There’s not many investigations where you don’t get a clear motive. It’s strange,’ he said.
Asked what his message to the man would be, Det Insp Dalton said: ‘We will keep going until we find you – I have not lost that determination’.
The parents said their son was in good spirits but may take years to recover.
A GoFundMe page for the child has so far raised more than $195,000.
Luka’s parents said their son was in good spirits but may take years to recover
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
