The man suspected of pouring hot coffee on a nine-month-old baby in a Brisbane park has been identified as a 33-year-old Chinese national.
On August 27, Luca was with his mother in Hanlon Park when a man the family had never met poured hot coffee on the baby and fled.
The baby was taken to hospital with severe burns and later released, but as a result, she will suffer lifelong injuries.
The suspected attacker has been identified by Chinese media as a 33-year-old Chinese national who was currently in Australia on a student visa.
The man drove to New South Wales the day after the alleged attack and fled Sydney Airport on August 31.
Queensland Police subsequently issued an arrest warrant for the man with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
The maximum penalty for this crime is life in prison.
Police said the man had no family or criminal history in Australia and had previously worked in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria.
Chinese media reports that he was born in Hangzhou, China.
“Queensland Police is working with domestic and international partners to further investigate the incident,” Queensland Police said in a statement.
Acting Police Commissioner Andrew Massingham appeared on 4BC radio on Thursday morning and said police were “fully committed” to arresting the man.
“The international search for the person who committed that horrific crime continues,” he said.
“That child will carry that injury for the rest of his life.”
Queensland Police Inspector Paul Dalton previously revealed the man fled the country just 12 hours after being identified.
“When I released my name, I was in the investigation center and it was a very happy room. But 15 minutes later I did a test and found out that he was missing,” he said.
“I have 30 detectives working with us and they are shocked that we let this person go for 12 hours.
“I was depressed, but that depression quickly turned into determination and resilience to get the job done.”
A GoFundMe was quickly set up for baby Luca's medical expenses, and the campaign totaled nearly $200,000.
Luca's parents provided an update on his condition on their fundraising page on September 26, revealing that he had just returned home and had his first bath.
“It's safe to say he had the best time of his life,” his mother, Elna, wrote.
“It's been a long road to recovery in terms of scar management, but the worst is behind us and the results are much better than I could have imagined in the first few days.
“The only thing left to do is participate. [to] Outpatient surgery once a week was a significant improvement from twice-weekly general anesthesia surgeries. ”
His mother previously wrote: “I hope that someday justice will be served.”
“This horrible event should never have happened,” she said.
