Grief-stricken mum of baby boy doused in scalding coffee in Hanlon Park reveals the heartwarming moment he gave his family hope

EXCLUSIVE

The mother of the boy who was doused with hot coffee has revealed the heartwarming moment her son smiled for the first time after his horrific ordeal.

And she credits the beautiful sound with giving her – and her young family – the hope to keep going, after he had already suffered several setbacks on his long road to recovery.

“That little coo of his, that gives me strength, just to know that he’s going to get through all of this and he’s going to be okay,” she told Daily Mail Australia from her home in Brisbane.

“When I first heard him laugh again, my heart melted. It gives me courage and positivity for the future.”

“I’ve never met anyone stronger than him. You wouldn’t even know he was going through all this if you didn’t see the connections or know we were in the hospital.

“I love my little boy, he is so amazing.”

Little Luka was picnicking with his mother at Hanlon Park, in Brisbane’s south-east, on August 27 when he was attacked by a stranger around noon.

The nine-month-old suffered life-threatening burns to his face, upper body and arms after being doused with hot coffee during the unprovoked attack. He has since undergone five operations at Queensland Children’s Hospital.

While his neck and chest will likely be scarred, doctors believe they can limit the long-term damage using laser and needle therapy.

Luka’s mother said he was discharged from the hospital for the second time on Tuesday and was recovering at home, even playing with his sister.

“We got home yesterday,” she told Daily Mail Australia.

‘We went home for a few days after the attack, but then Luka developed a high fever and then stomach complaints.

‘We were back in the hospital last weekend, but now we are home for the second time.

‘Luka’s face is healing very well and the little one [coffee] the splatters on his arms and legs are also healing.

‘It mainly concerns the neck, shoulders and chest, and that will take a while, because these are full thickness burns.

‘He’s doing really well. Yesterday he didn’t even want to sleep because he was so happy to be home and play with his sister.

‘He wasn’t really laughing in the hospital, but he’s been laughing, walking and smiling – and even arguing with his sister – since we got home.

“You know, all the normal things he should be doing, he’s just so happy to be back home with us. It’s really heartwarming.

‘The only thing he has a problem with is that he hates being poked and preyed upon after being in the hospital, and he’s a little wary of certain people, but other than that he’s doing really well.’

Luka’s mother said she did not visit Hanlon Park regularly and only went on August 27 so her son could play with other friends.

She said that they were having a picnic with their group when they were unexpectedly attacked.

“I was only in the park for five minutes, maybe longer, and I was taking pictures of my son playing, and he came up behind me, threw some liquid on him and ran away,” she said.

“I didn’t realize what it was at the time, but then Luka started screaming and I saw his skin peeling off. I knew it was hot liquid.”

Within moments, she said, the attacker began to flee.

“My girlfriend left her baby and me and ran after this guy, but she tripped and fell and he was very, very fast,” the baby’s mother said.

‘He knew exactly what he was doing and he chose the right moment.

“I have not received any further information from the police about where the man is. All we know is that he has fled the country, that they know where he is and that we trust that the police can catch this man.”

She said she still had flashbacks of the attack on her son, but she “tried not to think about it because it would send her into a negative spiral.”

Police tracked his movements after the attack to the southern Brisbane suburb of Tarragindi, where he changed clothes outside a church.

He then took a taxi to the centre of Brisbane, where he drove to Caxton Street, where he was initially not found until it was discovered that he had fled the country.

Queensland Police Detective Inspector Paul Dalton said the suspect was “aware of police methods” and had carried out “counter-surveillance activities” in the days following the attack.

Eventually he managed to leave Sydney airport unnoticed on his own, showing his passport.

“This is probably one of the most complex and at times frustrating investigations I have ever been involved in and led,” he said Monday.

Detective Dalton said the man was clearly “aware of what we (police) do to find people” and that their efforts to capture him were initially delayed after he was wrongly identified as another man.

“It wasn’t until September 1 that we were able to put the name of the face on the surveillance cameras,” he said.

“Even at that point, we probably didn’t have enough evidence to get a warrant.

“We have now been to New South Wales and Victoria to gather that information and the warrant has been granted.”

Detective Dalton said he knew which country the man had fled to, but he could not share that information while the investigation was ongoing.

He said the man had been in and out of Australia since 2019 and had behaved “legally” on each occasion.

“There are no adverse effects on him found in Australia,” Detective Inspector Dalton said.

He said the man was in the country on a visa and had addresses “on the east coast” but not in Queensland.

The suspect was a ‘travelling’ worker in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria and police had questioned a number of his former colleagues.

According to Detective Dalton, this was the “most cowardly” attack he had seen in his career.

“A young mother and a baby are sitting on the ground and you approach them from behind,” he said.

“Can you think of anything more vulnerable than that? And taking advantage of it? You’re probably right, it’s one of the most disgusting I’ve come across.”

The chief officer promised that he would not stop the investigation until the man was caught.

“I have 30 detectives working for me. They are devastated that they missed this person by 12 hours,” he said.

“I think the family would just be more upset about that.”

He encouraged anyone with information to come forward.

“Now that this person has fled Australia, people may feel safer reporting to police,” he said.

“I encourage them to do that. There will be no judgment on you.”

The man was described as being of small build with tanned skin. He was wearing a black hat, glasses, a shirt and shorts at the time of the attack.