The mother of a badly burnt baby has revealed her greatest fear and said she is having panic attacks while a stranger who poured scalding coffee on her nine-month-old son is still at large.
The baby boy, Luka, had a second round of surgery on Friday after suffering burns to his face and body in the ‘cowardly’ and random attack in a Brisbane park.
His parents have not left his side at the hospital since the incident at Hanlon Park in Stones Corner on Tuesday, as police search for the man.
‘Last night, I had a panic attack, thinking that he’s going to hurt someone else because he’s out there,’ the mum said.
‘If he can do this to an innocent baby, he can do a lot worse. I don’t want any more harm to anyone.’
The boy had walked unassisted for the first time just hours before he was scalded at the picnic in the park, his parents said.
‘He seems like his happy self again, which is nice to see because the last few days have been really, really hard,’ the mother told reporters, fighting back tears.
‘He’s doing good. He’s actually playing.’
The mother of a badly burnt baby has revealed her greatest fear and said she is having panic attacks while a stranger who poured scalding coffee on her nine-month-old son is still at large
Police are still searching for a man (pictured) they want to speak with in relation to the scalding of a baby with hot coffee
The woman said she was still reeling from the incident and was fearful of it happening again.
‘I play it over in my head constantly,’ she said.
Police hope someone recognises a man in enhanced images they have released.
‘Please come forward if you know this man,’ the mother said.
The boy’s father described the horrible moment he was told his son had been badly burnt.
He was at a shopping centre with his daughter when he rang his partner after realising he had missed several calls.
‘I instantly knew something must be wrong. I got a hold of her over the car speaker,’ he told Network Ten’s The Project.
‘My daughter … was in the car and it played over the Bluetooth and she heard everything.’
The father revealed when his daughter saw her brother in the emergency room, she said: ‘I hope the bad guy doesn’t hurt me.’
The boy remains in hospital in a stable condition, with more surgery likely next week.
‘They were able to tell us that the burns on the side of his face, his lower arms and his legs should all be superficial and they’ll all heal properly,’ the father said.
The full extent of his other burns won’t be known until after the latest surgery.
The boy has burns on his chin, neck, face, chest and back that are considered ‘more severe’.
The mother of a badly burnt baby (pictured) has revealed her greatest fear and said she is having panic attacks while a stranger who poured scalding coffee on her nine-month-old son is still at large
The mother hoped to thank the nurse who helped at the park, taking her son to her nearby apartment to place him in a shower after bystanders had poured cold water on the baby.
A GoFundMe page for the infant had raised almost $95,000 by Friday evening.
‘It’s restored my faith in the community and there is kindness out there,’ the mother said.
The GoFundMe organiser, Zara Mazza, said ‘This was a callous, random attack on my friend’s baby. He does not deserve this pain and suffering.’
The man the police want to speak with was wearing glasses, a light blue shirt, light coloured shorts and a black hat.
He is believed to be aged about 30 to 40 with a proportionate build and tanned skin.
Luka’s parents are now anxiously waiting for his attacker to be caught.
‘I want this man caught and charged. He’s out on the loose,’ his mother told the Brisbane Times.
‘I’m anxious and worried that he’s going to hurt someone else again, or hurt us again.’
She and her friend were in the park with their babies for just 10 minutes when the unknown man approached.
‘If anyone has any footage from around that area or who knows him, or lives next door to him, or something, please just come forward,’ the mum said.
The man the police want to speak with was wearing glasses, a light blue shirt, light coloured shorts and a black hat
The boy had walked unassisted for the first time just hours before he was scalded at the picnic in the park, his parents said
Luka’s parents are now anxiously waiting for his attacker to be caught
Detective Inspector Paul Dalton described the attack as ‘callous and cowardly’ as well as ‘completely unprovoked’.
‘When you look at the circumstances, particularly for us who are parents, going through a park on a beautiful winter’s day in Brisbane, enjoying time with your baby… to be approached like this and attacked in this way must be terrifying,’ 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. It shouldn’t happen.
‘Everyone has a right to feel safe in our community.
‘This sort of behaviour will not be tolerated and we’ve thrown all our resources that we can possibly (spare) to it at this stage to hold this person accountable.’
Inspector Dalton also reassured Brisbane parents his officers are ‘working around the clock’ to find the perpetrator.
The Child Protection and Investigation Unit are assisting in the search.
Anyone who recognises the man, or who has any information that can assist investigations, is urged to contact Policelink on 131 444 or Crime Stoppers.
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