A criminal psychologist has suggested a man who poured a thermos of hot coffee over a nine-month-old baby may have acted out of “hatred of small children”.
The boy was on a picnic with his mother in Brisbane’s Hanlon Park on Tuesday when the man approached them around midday.
He spilled the coffee on the baby, who immediately started screaming, and was caught on security cameras fleeing the park on foot.
The baby has since undergone surgery for burns to his face and chest at Queensland Children’s Hospital.
The nine-month-old baby reportedly suffered burns over 60 percent of his body.
Dr Tim Watson-Munro told the Daily Mail Australia it was likely the man had “cognitively rehearsed” the crime rather than acting on impulse.
“I suspect there was planning involved, even if it was impulsive at the time,” he said.
‘He knew the consequences of his actions, hence the escape. It is more likely that he knew what he was doing, it is unlikely that it was an impulsive crime.’
The criminal psychologist also suggested some potential motives.
“Maybe he hated little kids or was jealous of young families, maybe he wanted attention and sought notoriety,” she said.
Criminal psychologist Tim Watson-Munro (pictured) told Daily Mail Australia it was likely the man had “cognitively rehearsed” the crime rather than acting on impulse.
The nine-month-old baby (pictured) was attacked in a Brisbane park on Tuesday.
On Thursday morning, police released a second photo (pictured) of a man they wish to speak to in connection with the alleged assault in a Brisbane park.
“I think he’s definitely a disturbed person, this could have ended in tragedy.”
Dr Watson-Munro said it would be extremely traumatic for both the baby’s mother and bystanders to witness such a “terrible” and “cowardly” attack.
‘In my 46 years of dealing with criminals, I’ve seen it all, I’ve seen cruelty to children, but I’ve never seen a baby attacked in a public place.
‘Is It’s incredible… attacking a baby in its first days of life. It makes my blood run cold.
On Thursday morning, police released a second photograph of a man they wish to speak to in connection with the alleged assault.
The alleged attacker is described as being between 30 and 40 years old, of well-proportioned build, tanned skin and wearing a black hat, glasses, a shirt and shorts.
Police have urged anyone who knows the man or has information to come forward.
The parents are still in shock over the attack and say they cannot understand why someone would hurt a baby.
“I don’t know who would think it’s okay to hurt an innocent baby,” the mother told the Nine Network.
“He’s a sick monster,” the father said then.
The boy’s mother (pictured left) became emotional as she recalled the harrowing experience.
The alleged attack happened in Hanlon Park in Brisbane’s city centre on Tuesday afternoon.
‘I keep flashing back to what happened and wishing he had spilled the coffee on me.
“I don’t know who would think of harming a small, innocent baby.”
A friend of the boy’s mother said she tried to chase the man but tripped, before running to pour her water bottle over the baby.
“This man was standing on top of him, behind him, and he poured a thermos of hot coffee on him. He started screaming,” Zara Mazza told The Project.
‘Basically all I could hear was his mom yelling ‘it’s hot, the coffee is hot,’ so I ran over, grabbed my water bottle and threw it at him.
‘I took him out of his mother’s arms, we laid him down on the picnic blanket and removed his clothes, which revealed that his skin was peeling and had started to blister.’
Police have released CCTV images of a man they wish to speak to in connection with the incident.
A nurse in training offered her a shower in her nearby apartment so that water could run constantly over the screaming baby.
The boy will need regular bandage changes under anesthesia over the next few weeks, but his condition is stable, Mazza said.
She has started a GoFundMe Page to raise money for the family’s hospital bills.