Parents' devastation after baby attacker flees the country
The parents of an infant boy who suffered severe burns after having hot coffee poured over him have spoken of their devastation after learning their son's alleged attacker fled the country.
The nine-month old baby boy was attacked while having a picnic with his mother at a Brisbane park on August 27.
The man allegedly came up to the boy and poured a Thermos of hot coffee on the baby, burning his face and chest. The boy has since undergone three rounds of surgery to treat his wounds.
On Monday, Queensland police said that the 33-year-old man accused of the attack has fled the country on his own passport a day before they identified him.
The foreign national had travelled by car to NSW on August 28 before flying out of Sydney airport on August 31. Police said that a warrant has been issued for his arrest.
The babies parents, who chose to remain anonymous, have spoken of their devastation.
“It sounds like they were very, very close in catching him, and this obviously means that we’re going to have to wait who knows how long to get justice for our son,” the mother told the ABC.
“It’s a bit heartbreaking.”
She said the incident had left her living in fear and it would affect her mental health for the rest of her life.
"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," she said.
"It should be a happy, joyful time. I'm a first-time mum and he's taken that away from me."
Luka's father said his baby boy was in "good spirits" and didn't "want to sit still" despite his injuries.
Queensland Police Detective Inspector Paul Dalton said the investigation was one of the most “complex and frustrating” he had been involved in.
He said the alleged attacker was “aware of police methodologies” and was “conducting counter-surveillance activities” that made it more complex.
“It wasn’t until September 1 that we were able to put a name to the face in the CCTV,” Inspector Dalton said.
He added that it was still too early in the investigation to disclose the name of the suspect publicly as it could "jeopardise the integrity of this investigation and any chance of bringing this person to justice".
“We will keep going until we find you, and I have not lost that determination,” Inspector Dalton said.
“I’ve got 30 detectives working for me. They are devastated that they missed this person by 12 hours. I think only the family would be more upset about that.”
He urged the man, who had been "coming and going" from Australia since 2019 on working and holiday visas, to return to Australia and come forward.
“I encourage him to do that. There’ll be no judgment on you whatsoever,” Inspector Dalton said.
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