EXCLUSIVE
The mother of a baby doused with scalding coffee has revealed the heartwarming moment her son laughed for the first time after his harrowing experience.
And she credits the beautiful sound with giving her – and her young family – hope to keep going after suffering several setbacks on her long road to recovery.
“That little chirp of his is what gives me strength to know that he’s going to get through this and he’s going to be okay,” she told Daily Mail Australia from her home in Brisbane.
‘Hearing him laugh for the first time melted my heart. It’s what gives me courage and positivity for the future.
“I’ve never met anyone stronger than him. You wouldn’t even know he was going through all this if you didn’t see the bandages or know we were in the hospital.
“I love my baby; he’s amazing.”
Little Luka has undergone four surgeries following the sickening unprovoked attack.
Police say the man responsible for the attack fled abroad with his own passport.
Little Luka was on a picnic with his mother at Hanlon Park in Brisbane’s south-east on August 27 when he was attacked by a stranger around midday.
The nine-month-old baby suffered life-threatening burns to his face, upper body and arms after being doused with hot coffee in the unprovoked attack and has since undergone five operations at Queensland Children’s Hospital.
Although he is likely to have scarring on his neck and chest, doctors believe they can minimise long-term damage through laser and needle therapies.
Luka’s mother said the boy had been discharged from hospital for the second time on Tuesday and had been recovering at home and even playing with his little sister.
“We returned home yesterday,” he told Daily Mail Australia.
‘We went home for a couple of days initially after the attack, but then Luka ended up having very high fevers and then he got gastroenteritis.
‘So we went back to the hospital for the weekend, but now we’re home again for the second time.
‘Luka’s face is healing nicely and the small (coffee) splashes on his arms and legs are healing as well.
‘It’s mainly the neck, shoulders and chest, which will take some time because they are full-thickness burns.
Nine-month-old Luka suffered life-threatening burns after being attacked in a Brisbane park
‘He’s doing great, yesterday he didn’t even want to take a nap because he was so happy to be home and play with his sister.
‘He didn’t really smile or laugh in the hospital, but he’s been laughing, walking and smiling, and even fighting with his sister, since we got home.
‘You know, all the normal things he should be doing… he’s so happy to be home with us again… it’s really comforting.
“The only thing he has a problem with is that he hates being poked and prodded after being in the hospital, and he’s a bit wary of certain people, but other than that he’s doing really well.”
Luka’s mother said she did not regularly visit Hanlon Park and only went on August 27 so her young son could meet up with other friends to play.
He said his group had just begun enjoying a picnic together when they were unexpectedly attacked.
“I was only in the park for five minutes, if that, and I was taking pictures of my son playing, and he came up behind me, threw this liquid on him and ran away,” she said.
“I didn’t realise what it was at the time, but then Luka started screaming and I could see his skin coming off. I knew it was a hot liquid.”
The incident occurred at Hanlon Family Park in Brisbane’s inner south-east.
Within moments, he said, the attacker had begun to flee.
“My friend left me and her baby and started running after this guy, but she tripped and fell and he was very, very fast,” the baby’s mother said.
‘He knew exactly what he was doing and chose the right moment.
“I have had no further news from the police about where the man is. All we know is that he fled the country, they know where he is and we are confident that the police will catch this guy.”
She said she still suffered from repeated flashbacks of the attack on her son, but was “trying not to think about it, because otherwise it would just keep sending me into a negative spiral.”
Police traced his movements after the attack to the suburb of Tarragindi, south of Brisbane, where he changed clothes outside a church.
He then took a rideshare to central Brisbane, before moving to Caxton Street, where his trail initially went cold until it was discovered he had fled the country.
Queensland Police Detective Inspector Paul Dalton said the accused was “aware of policing methodologies” and had been “conducting counter-surveillance activities” in the days following the attack.
He eventually managed to escape from Sydney airport with his own passport without being detected.
“This is probably one of the most complex and sometimes frustrating investigations I have ever been involved in and led,” he said Monday.
Detective Inspector Dalton said the man was clearly “aware of what we (police) do to find people” and that their efforts to catch him had initially been delayed after he was wrongly identified as a different man.
“It wasn’t until September 1 that we were able to put a name to the face that appears on the security cameras,” he said.
Even at that stage, we probably didn’t have enough evidence to get a warrant.
“We have since been in New South Wales and Victoria to gather that information and the order has been granted.”
Detective Inspector Dalton said he knew which country the man had fled to but could not share that information while the investigation was ongoing.
He said the man had been entering and leaving Australia since 2019 and had acted “legally” each time.
“We found no adverse evidence about him in Australia,” Detective Inspector Dalton said.
He said the man was in the country on a visa and had addresses “on the other side of the east coast” but not in Queensland.
The defendant had been a “roving” worker in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria and police had interviewed some of his former colleagues.
Luka’s mother says she has been suffering from flashbacks of the ordeal
Detective Inspector Dalton said the attack was the “most cowardly” he had witnessed in his career.
“A young mother and a baby are sitting on the ground and you are supposedly approaching them from behind,” he said.
“Can you think of anything more vulnerable than that? And how to take advantage of it? You’re probably right, it’s one of the most disgusting cases I’ve ever seen.”
The senior police officer promised that he would not give up the investigation until he caught the man.
“I have 30 detectives working for me. They are devastated that they didn’t find this person for 12 hours,” he said.
“I think only the family would be more upset about it.”
He encouraged anyone with information to come forward.
“People can feel safe now that this person has fled Australia and can report to police,” he said.
“I encourage them to do so. We will not judge them in any way.”
The man was described as having a small build and tanned skin. At the time of the attack he was wearing a black hat, glasses, a shirt and shorts.
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