The shocked parents of a nine-month-old baby who was burned to death by a stranger in a park have described in detail the horrific impact the experience had on their terrified sister.
Baby Luka was picnicking with his mother and friends at Hanlon Park in Brisbane’s Coorparoo when an unknown man approached them and poured coffee from a thermos over the little boy on Tuesday afternoon.
While Luka’s mother and the Good Samaritan witnesses tried to cover him with cold water, her partner drove around with their three-year-old daughter, nine miles away in Chermside.
While driving, he realized he had five missed calls from his partner and called her back through his car’s Bluetooth speaker.
That’s how he and the girl discovered the horrific, unprovoked attack.
When the girl heard about her brother’s injuries, she was terrified. She would be turning four in a few days.
“I got her (his partner) on the speaker in the car and my daughter, who turns four on Monday, was in the car,” the father said. The project on Thursday evening.
‘She heard everything, I heard everything. It was all very hectic.
Luka (pictured with his mother on Thursday) was badly burned after a stranger spilled hot coffee on him in a Brisbane park
Luka’s father (pictured with partner) said his three-year-old daughter heard what happened to her brother in the car
When Luka’s older sister heard about her brother’s injuries (pictured), she became afraid that the ‘bad guy’ would attack her too
‘She’s a very smart girl, so she’s aware of everything.
“She even asked after she saw my son in the emergency room, ‘I hope the bad guy doesn’t hurt me,’ and things like that.”
He and his partner are still “trying to explain” to their daughter, but have not been able to see her in person since the attack. They are monitoring Luka 24/7 in hospital.
Luka’s mother admitted that she no longer feels safe in public after the horrific incident.
The group had only been in the park for 10 minutes before the incident occurred
“I’m not sure I’ll feel safe leaving my home with my son in the future, and I know it’s going to be a long road for me,” the mother told the program.
“I’m so grateful for all the support from the community. My friends and family have been supportive. And my partner is amazing too. With all the support around me, I know we’ll get through this together.”
Luka is expected to undergo his next surgery on Friday, when his parents will learn the extent of his burns and whether he will need skin grafts.
“His chin, his neck, the underside of his cheek, his chest and back are deeper burns, so they are more serious,” his father told the Courier Mail.
He also said that Luka had been ill lately.
“And then he finally got better, a few days before the incident. And then his mother arranged to see her friends and their babies at the park so (he) could see his friends,” the father added.
This came after Luka’s mother shared a video of her baby boy walking and smiling for the first time since Thursday’s attack.
The baby remains in Queensland Children’s Hospital and will require multiple surgeries to repair burns to 60 percent of his body.
Luka had already taken his first steps just hours before he was badly burned, and his parents were relieved that the injuries did not hinder his development.
“He seems to be back to being happy again, which is nice to see because the last few days have been really hard,” his mother said. 7News.
“He’s doing well. He’s really playing.”
Earlier on Thursday, Queensland police released new images of the alleged attacker and details of his bizarre movements immediately after the attack.
After fleeing the park, he went to a church in nearby Tarragindi, where he changed clothes outside.
He then took a taxi to Brisbane’s CBD and drove to Caxton Street.
The man was wearing a black hat, glasses, a checked shirt and shorts.
He is described as being 30-40 years old, of proportional build, tanned skin and was wearing a black hat, glasses, a shirt and shorts.
Queensland police are searching for a man (pictured) who fled the park shortly after the attack
Luka (pictured) remains in Queensland Children’s Hospital suffering from burns to 60 percent of his body
Luka (pictured in the park shortly before the attack) had taken his first steps just hours before he was burned by the unknown stranger
Luka’s parents are now waiting anxiously for his attacker to be caught.
“I want this man caught and charged. He’s walking around free,” his mother told the Brisbane Times.
“I’m worried and afraid that he’s going to hurt someone or us again.”
She and her friend had only been in the park with their babies for 10 minutes when the unknown man approached and poured the hot coffee over her son.
“If anyone has any footage of that area, or if anyone knows him, or anyone who lives next door to him, or anything like that, please come forward,” the mother said.
A GoFundMe fundraiser for Luka’s medical expenses has raised more than $65,000 in just over a day.
“It has restored my faith in the community and the kindness out there,” the grateful mother said.
The GoFundMe page, set up by a family friend who attended the picnic that was attacked, described the man’s actions as “callous” and “arbitrary.”
‘Luka is currently in the hospital and is [expected] “To stay a little longer while he is treated for severe burns,” she wrote.
‘He has a long recovery ahead of him, which will require more doctors and specialists’ [and] hospital appointments.
‘[I] I would like to raise some money for medical and household expenses so that my friend and her family can have less pressure while they take the time to be home and help their beautiful boy heal.’
In a positive sign of recovery, Luka’s mother shared a video of the baby, showing him walking (pictured) and smiling for the first time since Thursday’s attack
Luka (pictured) will undergo his next operation on Friday
Luka’s mother said he is doing “fine” despite suffering burns over 60 percent of his body.
“He’s been playing, interacting, being happy and laughing a lot, which is really nice to see because the last few days he’s been miserable and in a lot of pain and discomfort,” she said.
“He is stable at the moment and he is having his second surgery tomorrow. We will know more about his burns tomorrow, once he has his second surgery.”
Detective Paul Dalton said Wednesday that Luka is in stable condition.
He described the attack as “heartless and cowardly” and “completely unprovoked”.
“When you look at the circumstances, particularly for us as parents, walking through a park in Brisbane on a beautiful winter’s day, enjoying time with our baby… it must be terrifying to be approached and attacked in this way,” Dalton said.
‘In my 35 years as a police officer, I have never seen a job where a child of this age, in these circumstances, has been assaulted. That should not happen.
‘Everyone has the right to feel safe in our community.
“This type of behavior will not be tolerated and we have used every resource available at this time to hold this individual accountable.”
Detective Inspector Dalton also reassured parents in Brisbane that his officers are working ‘day and night’ to find the man they believe is responsible for the attack (pictured)
A GoFundMe for Luka’s medical expenses has raised over $65,000 in just over a day
Detective Inspector Dalton assured parents in Brisbane that his officers are working “day and night” to find the perpetrator.
The Child Protection and Investigation Department is assisting in the search.
Anyone who recognises the man or has information that could assist the investigation is asked to contact Policelink on 131 444 or Crime Stoppers.
