He’s still out there: mum’s plea over coffee attack

Laine Clark and Fraser Barton |

Police have released CCTV footage of a man they want to speak to after coffee was thrown on a baby.
Police have released CCTV footage of a man they want to speak to after coffee was thrown on a baby.

The mother of a badly burnt baby says she is having panic attacks while a stranger who poured hot coffee on her nine-month-old son is still at large.

The infant will have 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 on Tuesday, as police search for the man.

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.”

But the woman aid she was still reeling from the incident and was fearful of another.

“I play it over in my head constantly,” she said.

“Last night, I had a panic attack, thinking that he’s going to hurt someone else because he’s out there.

“If he can do this to an innocent baby, he can do a lot worse. I don’t want any more harm to anyone.”

Police hope someone recognises a man in enhanced images they have released.

CCTV image after coffee attack in park
A man was seen running from a park after a baby was doused in hot coffee. (HANDOUT/QUEENSLAND POLICE SERVICE)

“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 told reporters.

Hanlon Park, Brisbane
The mother was at a park with her baby when coffee was thrown over the boy. (Darren England/AAP PHOTOS)

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 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 $93,000 on Friday.

“It’s restored my faith in the community and there is kindness out there,” the mother said.

The man was wearing glasses, a shirt, shorts and a black hat.

He is believed to be aged about 30 to 40 with a proportionate build and tanned skin.

AAP