Coward accused of spilling coffee on baby in Brisbane's Hanlon Park is identified as cops reveal their worst fears were confirmed

A man accused of spilling coffee on a nine-month-old baby in a Brisbane park has finally been identified by police – but the foreign national has since fled abroad.

Little Luka was on a picnic with his mother in Hanlon Park in Brisbane's southeast when the man allegedly approached them around midday on August 27, poured a thermos of boiling hot coffee over the infant and then fled.

The baby suffered life-threatening burns to her face, upper body and arms and underwent four operations at the Queensland Children's Hospital.

Queensland Police last week expressed suspicion that the man may have travelled to another state or overseas before confirming his escape from the country on Monday.

The 33-year-old man was in NSW on August 28 before departing from Sydney Airport on August 31 using his own passport – just 12 hours before police confirmed his identity.

In the meantime, an arrest warrant has been issued against him for grievous bodily harm, which carries a life sentence.

Detective Inspector Paul Dalton described the incident as a “brutal attack” with no apparent motive. He said the defendant was “familiar with police procedures” and had “carried out counter-surveillance measures”.

“This is probably one of the most complex and at times frustrating investigations I have ever been involved in and had to lead,” he told reporters.

The baby suffered life-threatening burns to the face, upper body and arms

Baby Lukas' mother and father said they were “devastated” when they heard the man had fled.

“It sounds like they were very close to catching him and that obviously means we have to wait who knows how long before our son gets justice,” she told the ABC.

“So it's a little heartbreaking.”

The mother, who wishes to remain anonymous, said she had lived in “fear” since the incident and did not want to leave the hospital because it had become “our safe place”.

“When I got home I had panic attacks and I still have them. In some ways I'm relieved he's not in this country, but I will always be scared and worried about being out in public with my son,” she said.

“It affected my mental health for the rest of my life.”

Detective Inspector Dalton said the man was clearly “aware of what we (the police) do to find people” and that officers were hampered in their efforts when they were initially given the wrong name.

“It wasn’t until September 1 that we were able to put a name to the face on the CCTV footage,” he said.

Detective Inspector Paul Dalton (pictured), who described the incident as a “brutal attack”, said the defendant was “familiar with police methods” and had “carried out counter-surveillance measures”.

“Even at that point, we probably didn't have enough evidence to obtain a search warrant.”

“We have since been to New South Wales and Victoria to gather this information and the arrest warrant has been issued.”

Detective Inspector Dalton said he knew which country the man had fled to but could not pass on this information while the investigation was ongoing.

He said the man had entered Australia repeatedly since 2019 and had been in the country “lawfully” each time.

“We can’t find any negative evidence of him in Australia,” said Detective Inspector Dalton.

He said the man was in the country on a visa and had addresses “beyond the east coast” but not in Queensland.

The accused was a migrant worker in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria and police had interviewed some of his former colleagues.

Detective Inspector Dalton said the attack was the “most cowardly” he had witnessed in his career.

“A young mother and a baby are sitting on the ground and you are allegedly approaching them from behind,” he said.

Little Luka had to undergo four operations after the cruel, unprovoked attack

Detective Inspector Dalton said the attack was the “most cowardly” he had seen in his career (pictured: the suspect, who has since fled abroad)

“Can you imagine anything more vulnerable? And to take advantage of that? You're probably right, that's one of the most disgusting things I've ever seen.”

Detective Inspector Dalton vowed that he would not stop until the man was caught.

“I have 30 detectives working for me. They are devastated that they missed this person by 12 hours,” he said.

“I think only the family would be more upset about it.”

Detective Inspector Dalton urged anyone with information to come forward.

“Now that this person has fled Australia, people may feel safe enough to actually report to the police,” he said.

“I encourage them to do so. They will not be judged in any way for doing so.”

The man is described as being around 30 or 40 years old, with a proportionate figure and tanned skin.

At the time of the attack he was wearing a black hat, glasses, a shirt and shorts.

After the attack, police tracked his movements to the southern Brisbane suburb of Tarragindi, where he was changing clothes in front of a church.

He then took a rideshare to downtown Brisbane and from there drove to Caxton Street, where he lost track of the vehicle.