The parents of a nine-month-old baby who needed four surgeries after having hot coffee poured over him have revealed their devastation after learning their son’s suspected attacker had fled abroad.
Little Luka was on a picnic with his mother at Hanlon Park in Brisbane’s south-east when the man allegedly approached them around midday on August 27 and poured a thermos of boiling coffee over the baby before fleeing.
The baby suffered life-threatening burns to his face, upper body and arms and underwent four operations at Queensland Children’s Hospital.
On Monday afternoon, Detective Inspector Paul Dalton confirmed the family’s worst fears when he revealed the suspect had fled Australia.
The 33-year-old was in New South Wales on August 28 before flying out of Sydney Airport on August 31 using his own passport, just 12 hours before police confirmed his identity.
A warrant has since been obtained for his arrest for grievous bodily harm, which carries a possible sentence of life in prison.
The mother and father of baby Luka said they were “devastated” to learn the man had fled.
“It looks like they were very, very close to catching him, and this obviously means we’re going to have to wait who knows how long to get justice for our son,” she said. alphabet.
Little Luka was on a picnic with his mother at Hanlon Park in Brisbane’s south-east when the man allegedly approached them around midday on August 27.
The suspect (pictured) allegedly poured a thermos of boiling coffee over the baby before fleeing. Luka suffered life-threatening burns to his face, upper body and arms.
“So it’s a little heartbreaking.”
The mother, who asked to remain anonymous, said she had been living in “fear” since it happened and did not want to leave the hospital because “it became our safe space.”
“When I came home I had panic attacks and I still do. In a way I’m relieved that he’s not in this country, but I will always be afraid and anxious about being in public with my son,” she said.
“It has affected my mental health for the rest of my life.”
She said she felt “immense sadness” at the pain her son had experienced at the hands of a complete stranger.
“It should be a happy and joyful moment. I’m a first-time mother and he’s taken that away from me,” she added.
Luka’s father said his son was “in good spirits” and “didn’t want to sit still” despite having undergone a “pre-skin graft” today.
But they warned that his recovery could take years.
“It’s not just the surgeries, there’s lasers, needles, massages, making sure that movement isn’t affected,” her mother added.
Generous Australians have so far donated more than $152,000 to a GoFundMe Pagecreated to support baby Luka’s continued recovery.
Luka’s father said his son was “in good spirits” and “doesn’t want to sit still” despite having undergone a “previous skin graft” today.
Detective Inspector Paul Dalton, who described the incident as a “savage attack” with no apparent motive, said the defendant “was aware of policing methodologies” and had been “conducting counter-surveillance activities”.
“This is probably one of the most complex and sometimes frustrating investigations I have ever had to participate in and lead,” he told reporters on Monday.
Detective Inspector Dalton said the man was clearly “aware of what we (the police) do to find people” and that officers’ efforts had been thwarted when they were initially given the wrong name.
“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.
Detective Inspector Paul Dalton (pictured), who described the incident as a “savage attack”, said the defendant “was aware of policing methodologies” and had been “conducting counter-surveillance activities”.
“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 still ongoing.
He said the man had been entering and leaving Australia since 2019 and had acted “legally” each time.
“We can’t find any 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.
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.
Little Luka has undergone four surgeries following the sickening unprovoked attack.
Generous Australians have so far donated more than $152,000 to a GoFundMe page, set up to support baby Luka’s ongoing recovery.
“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.”
Detective Inspector Dalton vowed he would stop at nothing to catch 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.”
Detective Inspector Dalton 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 is described as having a well-developed build and tanned skin. At the time of the attack he was wearing a black hat, glasses, a shirt and shorts.
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 went cold until it was discovered he had fled the country.