A 33-year-old man who allegedly poured hot coffee on a baby sparks international hunt

The baby, known only as Luka, was sitting with his mother in a park in Australia on a picnic rug

Published Sep 09, 2024  •  Last updated 0 minutes ago  •  2 minute read

FILE PHOTO: A mother and her son are silhouetted against the last sunset in year 2013 in Hong Kong Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2013. Photo by Kin Cheung /THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

The hunt for a man who allegedly poured hot coffee on an Australian baby has turned international, after police discovered he fled on Aug. 31.

The Aug. 27 attack left the baby with severe burns on his chin, neck, chest and back from the scalding hot coffee. The man’s motive has yet to be identified.

The baby, known only as Luka, was sitting with his mother in a Brisbane park on a picnic rug. Another mother and her baby were with them, reports the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).

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Immediately after the attack, an off-duty nurse took the baby to her nearby home and ran cold water over his burns. He was then taken to Queensland Children’s Hospital.

The baby has undergone multiple skin graft operations for his burns. A GoFundMe page has reportedly raised about $135,000 ($150,000 in Australian Dollars) so far.

Police Detective Inspector Paul Dalton said the force is working with international authorities to track down the man. He has been identified as a 33-year-old foreign national, reports The Strait Times.

Not wanting to jeopardize the investigation, Dalton said police are withholding the suspect’s name and the country he fled to.

Closed circuit television video released by police shows the man running from the scene, wearing a blue plaid shirt, black hat and glasses.

Dalton said police were able to put a name to the man’s face shown on CCTV. But the initial elation was dispelled when police discovered the man had flown from the Sydney airport just 12 hours before, using his own passport, ABC reports.

Police discovered he took a taxi to Brisbane’s city center, then drove by car across the state border to New South Wales before flying from Sydney Airport.

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Early efforts by police were hampered by false information about the man’s name. During their investigation, Police also discovered the man had been conducting surveillance of the police operation.

“It soon became apparent to us that this person was aware of police methodologies, was certainly conducting counter surveillance activities, which made the investigation quite complex,” Dalton was quoted as saying by CNN.

Dalton called the man an “itinerant worker” who had repeatedly entered Australia on various visas since 2019 and last entered the country in January 2022.

The baby’s parents said they were devastated to hear that the man had fled.

“I 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,” the baby’s mother said.

The boy’s father said the child was in “good spirits”.

He said his son had undergone a “pre-skin graft” procedure to encourage healing but may still need skin grafts on his neck and his chest.

“He was walking around the ward just before, he doesn’t want to sit still,” he told ABC.

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However, the parents said the baby’s recovery would take years.

“It’s not just those surgeries. Afterward, it’s laser, needling, massage, making sure movement isn’t affected,” his mother said.

Police have issued an arrest warrant citing acts intending to cause grievous bodily harm, the BBC reports. The charge carries a possible life sentence.

Dalton did not rule out sending Queensland detectives overseas to investigate.

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