‘He just started screaming’: Horror details after 9mo doused with hot coffee

“I don't know who would think that it is OK to harm a little, innocent baby,” the Queensland mum said.

Alexandra Feiam

3 min read

August 29, 2024 - 6:04AM

Family Life

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Horrific details have emerged about the man who allegedly poured scalding hot coffee on a baby in a park in Brisbane.

The nine-month-old baby was enjoying a picnic with his mum and friends at Hanlon Park at Stones Corner in southern Brisbane at midday on Tuesday when a stranger approached the family.

The man, who was not known to the group, then poured scalding hot coffee over the baby and fled the scene. The 9mo was rushed to the hospital, suffering burns to 60 per cent of his face and upper body, including his arms, neck and chest.

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The baby has suffered burns to 60 per cent of his body. Picture: 9News

“His skin had started to blister”

The baby spent the evening in Queensland Children’s Hospital, where he underwent surgery to treat the burns across his body and face.

Zara, a friend of the baby’s mother, who was at the picnic with her own son at the time, told The Project of the horrifying experience, recalling the moment she saw a man standing above her and her friend.

“This man was standing above him, behind him, and poured a Thermos of hot coffee over him,” she said on Wednesday evening. “He just started screaming.”

Zara tried to chase the man down, but he was too fast and escaped. Meanwhile, the 9mo was crying in agonising pain.

“Essentially, all I could hear was his mum screaming that it’s hot,” she told reporters. “‘It’s hot, it’s hot coffee’, so I ran back, and as I ran back, picked up my water bottle and dumped it over him.”

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Zara and the boy’s mum immediately removed the baby’s clothes but quickly realised that severe damage had already been done. “We peeled his clothes away, which revealed the peeling of his skin; his skin had started to blister,” Zara said.

An off-duty nurse who was nearby grabbed the child and rushed him to her apartment, placing him in the shower until the paramedics arrived.

“It was chaotic,” said Zara. “It happened really quickly.”

He has undergone surgery for his injuries and will likely require another. Picture: 9News

Mum having “flashbacks” of horror event

Thankfully, the ambulance arrived shortly later, taking the infant to the Queensland Children's Hospital, where he underwent surgery to assess and treat the burns across his body.

The baby is now in a stable condition and will require “regular dressing changes under anaesthetic”. However, doctors aren’t sure how long it will take for him to fully recover from his injuries.

It's understood he is expected to spend the next week in hospital, where he will likely require another surgery to treat his extensive burns.

Speaking to 9News, the baby’s mother recounted the terrifying moment her son was attacked. “I'm just having flashbacks all the time about what happened,” she said. “I don't know who would think that [it] is OK to harm a little, innocent baby.”

Zara explained how the traumatising incident affected the boy’s parents, especially his mother.

“She’s got a lot of anxiety right now,” Zara said. “She’s not been able to sleep very well, if at all. So definitely struggling.”

The alleged assailant was spotted on CCTV fleeing the scene, running up the footpath and out of the park.

He was last seen wearing a black and blue checked long-sleeve shirt or flannel, khaki-coloured shorts, black sneakers, a black hat and black-framed reading glasses.

Police believe the man is aged in his 30s or 40s, with tanned skin and proportional build.

Anyone with information is urged to come forward.