The mother of a baby boy who had hot coffee poured on him at a Brisbane park has shared a heartbreaking message calling for justice, nearly a year after the “cruel” and “senseless” attack.
Little Luka was just nine months old when a man approached him while he and his mother were having a picnic at Hanlon Park, Brisbane on August 27, 2024.
The man then poured a Thermos of scalding hot coffee on the baby, burning his face and chest.
The alleged attacker is believed to have fled the country the day after he was identified by police. Luka’s mother is now urging authorities not to let another year pass without accountability.
“Almost one year has passed, and while our family continues to live with the trauma of that day, the person responsible has not been held accountable,” she wrote on Instagram.
She said Luka has undergone eight surgeries and received synthetic skin grafts, skin needling, and laser treatments for burns, all of which were “painful reminder of what was done to him and of the justice that still hasn’t come.’”
“The fact that someone can deliberately hurt a child and face no consequences is beyond unacceptable,” she wrote.
“That reality is as painful today as it was a year ago and is one of the hardest things to live with: knowing that the person who hurt our child walks free.
“Our legal systems and international relationships should protect victims and children, yet they have failed to do so.
“To those in positions of power, please don’t make it another year. Do not let this man escape accountability for hurting a child!”
She said Luka had shown “strength far beyond his years” and continued to “outshine the cruelty he experienced”, but said that was not enough.
“He deserves justice,” she wrote.
Police said the 33-year-old man drove to New South Wales on August 28, before flying out of Sydney Airport three days later.
A warrant has been issued for his arrest.
A Queensland Police spokesperson said investigators “remain committed to securing justice for the victim and his family.”
Images: news.com.au
