A stranger poured boiling coffee over a nine-month-old baby and caused burns to 60 per cent of his body – leaving his mother traumatised.
The young bub was at a picnic with his mum and friends at Hanlon Park in Coorparoo in Brisbane’s south when an unknown man approached the group at about midday on Tuesday.
COPS WANT HIM
He poured a thermos of coffee over the baby before fleeing the scene. He remains on the run on Wednesday night.
A photo taken shortly before the incident shows the baby sitting on a rug happily playing with a toy truck.
Heartbreaking footage has also emerged of the baby in hospital afterwards, wrapped in bandages and screaming in pain.
The baby’s mother became emotional as she relived the harrowing ordeal.
VICTIM IMPACT STATEMENT
‘It’s torture and I’m supposed to be his protector and I couldn’t protect him,’ she told Nine News.
‘I’m just having flashbacks all the time about what happened and I wish that he had poured the coffee over me.
‘I don’t know who would think it is okay to harm a little, innocent baby.’
Family friend Zara Mazza was sitting alongside the baby and his mother when the stranger.
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EFFORT TO CHASE THE ASSAILANT
Ms Mazza fought back tears on The Project on Wednesday night as she recalled how she attempted to chase down the assailant but tripped.
‘As I ran back I picked up my water bottle and dumped it over him … we laid him down on the picnic rug and we peeled his clothes away, which revealed the peeling of his skin – his skin had started to blister,’ she said.
‘Some really lovely onlookers came over and filled up water bottles and kept pouring it over him.’
Ms Mazza added that the boy’s mother is struggling over the ordeal.
‘She’s got a lot of anxiety right now. She’s not been able to sleep very well, if at all,’ she said.
‘Bub is in a stable condition. He’s had burns to his face, neck, chest and arms, and they say that he’ll need regular dressing changes under anaesthetic over the next weeks.’
