What cops in coffee baby attack probe meant with most intriguing detail about suspect who fled Australia – after disturbing scenes in Hanlon Park, Brisbane

There are concerns that the man accused of pouring hot coffee on a defenceless baby is deliberately leaving a trail of “fake evidence” in a deliberate attempt to evade justice.

According to veteran investigator Charlie Bezzina, the 33-year-old foreigner may even have provided a false tip about his identity in an attempt to throw investigators off track and buy himself time to escape abroad.

And he said he feared the despicable fugitive would strike again as he continued to play a sick game of cat and mouse with investigators.

This came after Detective Constable Paul Dalton, the investigator leading the international manhunt for the man, revealed that the alleged attacker had managed to flee the country just hours before police identified him and seized his passport.

The man has been on the run since August 27 after he randomly approached a mother and her nine-month-old baby in Hanlon Park in Brisbane and then unprovokedly doused the baby with hot coffee from a thermos.

The baby was taken to Queensland Children’s Hospital with life-threatening burns to his face, upper body and arms and has since undergone four operations.

Police were tracking the man’s movements after an incident in Brisbane’s southern suburb of Tarragindi where he was changing clothes outside a church.

He then took a taxi into central Brisbane, driving to Caxton Street in the city’s west before initially reaching a dead end.

Detective Inspector Dalton said police now believe the man travelled to Sydney in the days following the attack and used ‘counter-surveillance’ tactics to stay out of sight and avoid detection.

On August 31, he managed to escape on an international flight using his own passport, just 12 hours before his true identity was confirmed by investigators.

Detective Dalton said police lost crucial hours in their attempts to arrest the man after being given incorrect information about his identity.

“It quickly became clear to us that this person was aware of the methods of the police and that he was certainly carrying out anti-surveillance activities. That made the investigation quite complex,” he said Monday.

He said the man had entered Australia legally several times since 2019 and had travelled extensively along the country’s east coast. an itinerant worker in Queensland, Victoria and NSW.

A warrant has now been issued for his arrest on alleged aggravated assault, a charge that could carry a life sentence.

While the fugitive’s age and visa status have been made public, investigators have still not released his name or the destination of his flight.

Mr Bezzina, who has led high-profile manhunts for the countess during his career, said police may be trying to lull the man into a false sense of security by keeping those key details secret.

The retired detective said the man could have used some basic tactics to throw police off his trail long enough to flee the country, such as throwing away his mobile phone and using only cash.

He said the man may even have given false tips to police as he tried to escape, and warned that there were serious concerns that he would behave unpredictably if he felt cornered and that he might even strike again.

“Counter-surveillance can be as simple as, ‘I’ll call out a vague name to the police, I’ll leave my phone somewhere because I know they can track me on my phone, and I’ll buy another prepaid card somewhere else,’” he said.

“You know, ‘I’ll book a motel with a crappy name, I’ll avoid using credit cards,’ it’s all that. It doesn’t have to be terribly sophisticated.

“The real concern is that he planned to deploy these anti-surveillance tactics while he was on the run, and what that says about his state of mind.

‘There will be a genuine fear that he is one of those people who enjoy playing cat and mouse with detectives, who think they are smart and want to be chased by the police.

“I mean, why would someone want to spill boiling water on a baby? And then they try to use tactics to escape? You really have to look at the type of person we’re dealing with here – and that’s not good.”

He said that in the long run any attempt to evade justice would be futile. The man’s alleged crime was so heinous that no country in the world would bear the idea of ​​harbouring the fugitive.

“Sometimes there is a concern that in some third world countries there is not really any consideration for crimes committed outside their borders,” he said.

‘But in this case, given the enormity of the horrific act this man allegedly committed on a young baby, it will strike a chord in the hearts of every government – and every law enforcement agency – around the world.

“And no one wants the bad publicity that comes from having this suspect, who is suspected of committing this heinous crime, in their country and they don’t cooperate.”

“He should turn himself in now, before the police get any closer. This is not going to go unnoticed. Whether it’s today, tomorrow or next week, there will come a time when he will be caught.”

The baby’s mother says she still struggles with guilt over the attack, while her son is still recovering from the horrific event.

“As a result of the attack, I will continue to live with fear every day… My son will have to recover for months,” she told her Instagram followers on Monday.

‘Constant questions eat away at me, Why? Why him? Why not me? Why an innocent defenseless baby.

‘This attack changed our lives and destroyed my mental health for years to come.

‘It has ripped this part of motherhood – a happy, joyful time – out from under me.

‘I lived in constant fear for two weeks that he would attack us again.

‘While I take some ‘comfort’ in the fact that he is no longer in the country, I also feel enormous anger that he could not be arrested immediately.

“We now have to wait weeks, months or even years for justice to come for our baby.”