- Man accused of throwing coffee on baby
- Queensland Police said he fled overseas
A man accused of throwing coffee on a nine-month-old baby at a Brisbane park has finally been identified by police – but the foreign national has now fled overseas.
Little Luka Burgic had been on a picnic with his mother, Erna, in Hanlon Park, in inner south east Brisbane, when the man allegedly approached them at about midday on August 27 and poured a thermos of scalding coffee over the infant before fleeing.
The baby suffered life-threatening burns to his face, upper body and arms and has undergone four operations in Queensland Children’s Hospital.
Queensland Police raised fears last week the man may have travelled interstate or overseas before confirming on Monday he had fled the country.
The 33-year-old man was in NSW on August 28 before he flew out of Sydney Airport on August 31.
A warrant has since been obtained for his arrest for grievous bodily harm, which carries a possible life sentence.
Detective Inspector Paul Dalton, who described the incident as a ‘savage attack’, said the accused was ‘aware of police methodologies’ and had been ‘conducting counter-surveillance activities’.
‘This is probably one of the most complex and sometimes frustrating investigations I’ve had to be involved in and lead,’ he said.
A man accused of throwing coffee on a nine-month-old baby at a Brisbane park has fled overseas with cops issuing a warrant for his arrest
The baby suffered life-threatening burns to his face, upper body and arms
Detective Inspector Dalton said the man was clearly ‘aware of what we (the police) do to find people’ and that cops had been stymied in their efforts when they initially received the wrong name.
‘It wasn’t until the first of September that we were able to put a name to the face in the CCTV,’ he said.
‘Even at that stage, we probably didn’t have enough evidence to obtain a warrant.
‘We’ve since been to New South Wales and Victoria to gather that information, and the warrant has been granted.’
Detective Inspector Dalton said he knew which country the man had fled to but said he could not share that information while the investigation was still live.
He said the man had been in and out of Australia since 2019 and had been ‘lawful’ each time.
‘There’s no adverse holdings that we can find on him in Australia,’ Detective Inspector Dalton said.
He said the man was in the country on a visa and had addresses ‘across the eastern seaboard’ but not in Queensland.
More to come.
***
Read more at DailyMail.co.uk