Man accused of scalding baby in park identified
The man accused of pouring scalding hot coffee over a nine-month-old baby in a Brisbane park has finally been identified, after fleeing the country.
On August 27th, baby Luka was in Hanlon Park with his mother when a man approached them and poured hot coffee over the infant, leaving him with lifelong injuries.
The man then fled the country before he could be identified or detained by police.
Now, the man in question has now been identified as a 33-year-old Chinese national who was in Australia on a student visa.
He allegedly fled the scene after gravely injuring the child and drove over the state border to Sydney, where he flew out of the country on August 31st.
Queensland Police have since put an arrest warrant out for the man for intending to cause grievous bodily harm, which carried a maximum penalty of a life sentence.
Police said he had no family or criminal record in Australia and had previously worked in Queensland, NSW and Victoria, with Chinese media reporting that the man was born in Hangzhou, China.
“Queensland Police are working with national and international partner agencies to progress this investigation further,” a statement from Queensland Police said.
Speaking to 4BC Radio on Thursday morning, Acting Assistant Police Commissioner Andrew Massingham said police were “very much committed” to arresting the man.
“Our international search continues for the person that committed that horrendous crime,” he said. “That child will have those injuries for life.”
Queensland Police Detective Inspector Paul Dalton previously revealed the man fled the country just 12 hours after they identified him.
“Detectives are devastated that they missed this person by 12 hours. I was deflated, but that deflation quickly turns into determination and resilience to get the job done.”
Image credits: 9News / Queensland Police