Major update on stranger who poured hot coffee on 9mo baby at Queensland park
“We just want him to be punished, here or there, we just want him to be punished.”
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The Chinese national suspected of pouring hot coffee on a baby in a park wanted “revenge on white people” after he was denied another Australian visa, a friend in China has claimed.
Baby Luka was with his mum in Hanlon Park on August 27 when a man, who the family had never met, poured hot coffee on the baby before fleeing - leaving him with life-changing injuries.
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“Is he just walking the streets?”
The man’s identity was finally revealed by with Chinese media this week, with sources saying he is a 33-year-old national who had been in Australia on a mix of working holiday and student visas.
Police in Queensland only managed to identify him themselves after he’d already fled the country, with an international arrest warrant out for his arrest.
RELATED: ‘Immense pain’: Massive update after 9mo baby horrifically attacked by stranger
But with her baby’s alleged attacker still on the run, Luka’s mother has now asked: “Where is he now?”
“Is he in jail now that the media knows who he is over there? Is he just walking the streets?” the mother asked 9News.
His father added: “We just want him to be punished, here or there, we just want him to be punished.”
The tot was taken to hospital with serious burns and has since been released after undergoing several surgeries - but will have lifelong injuries as a result.
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The man suspected of carrying out the attack drove to New South Wales a day later and fled from Sydney Airport on August 31.
Queensland Police have since put an arrest warrant out for the man for intending to cause grievous bodily harm, with carries a maximum life sentence.
The maximum penalty for the crime carries a life sentence.
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Chinese media reported that the man had been on various visas since arriving in Australia in 2019, first using a working holiday visa and then switching to a student visa.
He has lived in a number of locations on Australia’s east coast and previously worked in a meat processing plant.
But when his most recent visa application was rejected, the suspect was reportedly furious and allegedly sought to take out his anger on baby Luka.
“Finally, he vented his anger and [allegedly] hurt a baby before leaving Australia,” reported China’s New Tang Dynasty Television.
A person claiming to be a co-worker of the suspect said he had a “brain problem” on Chinese social media.
“On the mainland social media ‘Little Red Book’, a Chinese person in Australia who claimed to know him, broke the news that this man has always been weird and difficult to deal with,” added NTD Television.
“He has been working in a meat factory with a study permit for a long time. Later, the meat factory did not require a study permit.”
The TV station added that Luke was “probably [attacked] to take revenge on the white people.”
Police say the suspect has no family or criminal record in Australia and had previously worked in Queensland, NSW and Victoria.
Chinese media are reporting that he 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.”
RELATED: Brisbane parents horrified as stranger pours scalding coffee over 9mo baby
Queensland Police Detective Inspector Paul Dalton previously revealed the man fled the country just 12 hours after they identified him.
“I was in the investigation centre when we put a name to the face and it was a very happy room, only for us to do a check in 15 minutes and find out we’ve lost him,” he said.
“We’ve got 30 detectives working for me. They’re 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.”
RELATED: ‘He just started screaming’: Horror details after 9mo doused with hot coffee
A GoFundMe was quickly set up for baby Luka’s medical bills, with the campaign reaching almost $200,000.
Luka’s parents provided an update on his condition on September 26 on the fundraiser page, revealing he had just had his first bath back at home.
“Safe to say he had the time of his life,” his mum wrote.
“It’s a long road to recovery when it comes to scar management but the worst of it is over, and the outcome is far better than we ever imagined from those first initial few days.
“We now only have to attend outpatients once a week, big improvement from the twice a week general anaesthetic surgeries.”
His mother had previously written about how she hoped “one day justice will be served”.
“This horrific event should have never happened,” she said.
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Originally published as Major update on stranger who poured hot coffee on 9mo baby at Queensland park
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