‘Terrifying’: Footage shows man fleeing park where baby was attacked with hot ‘coffee’

Police have issued a blunt message to a man who poured hot liquid, believed to be coffee, over a nine-month-old baby boy in a random, unprovoked attack at a Brisbane park.

“Quite simply, get some legal advice,” Brisbane Detective Inspector Paul Dalton said.

“Give yourself up, go to the police station. This is not going away, and we will keep going until we find [you].”

Investigators released CCTV footage of a man running from the Stones Corner park, in Brisbane’s south, after a hot liquid was poured over the baby boy.

The baby was with his mother and another woman and her infant at Hanlon Park, off Regina Street, when an unknown man approached them about midday on Tuesday.

The man threw the hot liquid over the baby before running away.

The baby was rushed to the Queensland Children’s Hospital with serious burns and later underwent surgery.

“It is callous and cowardly when you look at the circumstances, particularly for us, who are parents, going to a park on a beautiful winter’s day in Brisbane, enjoying your time with your baby, a friend and their baby, and to be approached like this and attacked in this way must be terrifying for that person,” Dalton said.

“In 35 years of being a police officer, I’ve never come across a job where a child this young, in these circumstances, has been attacked. I can’t think of it. For me, it’s an incident that I’m not aware of happening.”

Dalton said the baby was in a stable condition in hospital on Wednesday morning.

“Detectives have made contact with them this morning ... She [the mother] and the baby’s father are obviously very distressed,” he said.

Police have released an image of a suspect after hot liquid was poured on a baby at Stones Corner.Credit: Queensland Police Media

“The information I have on hand is that this was completely unprovoked.

“As far as premeditation goes – I’ll be very careful of what I say here – what I will say from speaking to witnesses, that the actual act of pouring the liquid onto the child, we believe and we allege was a deliberate act.”

Dalton said there would be a high police presence in the Stones Corner area over the coming days to help other parents and their children feel safe.

“Rest assured, we’ll work around the clock until we solve this matter,” he said.

CCTV footage shows the attacker running from the scene, wearing a black baseball hat with glasses. He was described as being about 30 to 40 years old, with a proportionate build and tanned skin.

“I’m very confident that if you’re looking at that footage and you know that person in there, you’re going to know who it is,” Dalton said.

“The obligation is on you to call us to keep the community safe.

“If police haven’t had a chance yet to doorknock your place and look at your [CCTV] footage ... do it. There is no information too small or too trivial for us.”

Anyone with information can contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.