A veteran police officer claims a man “skimmed electronic trails” to evade authorities and flee the country after allegedly throwing coffee at a baby in a park.
Nine-month-old baby Luka was enjoying a picnic with his mother and friends at Hanlon Park in Brisbane’s south when a stranger approached and poured hot coffee from a thermos over him on August 27.
Little Luka suffered life-threatening burns to his face, upper body and arms and has since undergone four surgeries at Queensland Children’s Hospital.
An urgent manhunt was launched and detectives revealed on Monday that the accused attacker, 33, had managed to flee abroad.
Former Australian Federal Police Detective Superintendent David Craig said on Tuesday it was “baffling” how the man managed to evade authorities.
‘Cl“This person had some experience in counter-surveillance at the beginning. He knew what he was doing,” he told Channel Seven’s Sunrise.
“He was obviously avoiding electronic trails so he couldn’t be tracked so easily.”
His comment comes as Australians across the country rallied to support the family with kind donors raising more than $150,000.
Nine-month-old baby Luka (pictured) suffered life-threatening burns to his face, upper body and arms after a stranger poured hot coffee on him.
The suspected attacker’s (pictured) movements before fleeing the country revealed he likely had “some counterintelligence experience.”
“Sending all the strength in the world to your precious, beautiful baby… may he make a full recovery and receive the best treatment available,” one person wrote.
“It’s just horrible and unbearable. I’m so sorry for this suffering. I hope the culprit is found,” added another.
The fundraiser was started to raise money for the baby’s medical expenses, and the organizer expressed gratitude for the support amidst such a “difficult and traumatic time.”
“We are overwhelmed by all the support, both in donations and words of encouragement,” the fundraiser said.
‘This GoFundMe fund will allow us to support (the baby) with all of his ongoing care needs, which is truly a weight off our shoulders.
‘He’s a very strong kid and we’re very proud of him.
The 33-year-old man accused of carrying out the attack was in New South Wales on August 28, a day after the Brisbane incident, and flew 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.
Mr Craig said it would be “a legal process” to speed up the transfer of the suspect to Australia, but he was confident “the authorities would bring him back here”.
“There should be a police operation at this time to try to locate that person through a mutual assistance request and the extradition request will be finalized,” he said.
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 been involved in and led,” he said 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.
“We have since been in New South Wales and Victoria to gather that information and the order has been granted.”
Former AFP officer David Craig (pictured) said it would be “a legal process” to speed up the suspect’s transfer to Australia, but he was confident “the authorities would bring him back here”.
Nine-month-old baby Luka (pictured) was enjoying a picnic with his mother and friends at Hanlon Park in Brisbane’s south when he was attacked by the stranger.
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.
“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.”
Detective Inspector Paul Dalton confirmed the worst fears of many people, including Luka’s family, on Monday afternoon by admitting that the suspected attacker had fled Australia (pictured: Luka with his mother in hospital).
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.