Latest news with #ShaneChelepy
Daily Record
a day ago
- Daily Record
Brisbane cops issue update on hunt for thug who poured scalding coffee on baby
Baby Luka was at the park with his mum and her pals when the evil brute attacked. A heartless thug who poured boiling hot coffee over a nine-month old baby boy is still on the run, with cops insisting they are "working hard" to try and find the attacker nearly one year on. Nine-month-old Luka was with his mum and her pals at a picnic at Hanlon Park in Coorparoo, Brisbane, Australia, when a man, unknown to the group, threw coffee over the infant. The random attack in August last year sparked public outrage and it's believed the attacker, a 33-year-old male, has since fled the country. Queensland Police Service Acting Commissioner Shane Chelepy issued an update on the investigation on Thursday. He told radio station 4BC that investigations into the 'horrible incident' were ongoing, reports the Mirror. "This was a horrible incident that happened almost a year ago, it struck our investigators pretty hard," he said. "I give credit to those investigators, they're still working very hard on this, this isn't something we've parked in a corner; this was a very serious offence, and we're working hard on it. 'What I can say is we're still working with our international partners to progress this matter and to get a resolution here. We've got a range of investigative strategies.' Cops believe the attacker is a 33-year-old Chinese national who left Australia and returned to China via New Zealand shortly after the incident. Acting Commissioner Chelepy said he did not "want to compromise investigative strategies" when he was asked on air if Queensland Police had sent detectives to China. Baby Luka suffered life-threatening burns to his face, upper body and arm as a result of the attack and, in total, sustained burns to 60 per cent of his body. The suspected attacker was captured on CCTV footage fleeing the scene but, despite those CCTV images being circulated worldwide, the attacker remains at large. According to Chinese media reports, the man had been in Australia on multiple visas and worked at various sites along the East Coast. Luka had been happily enjoying the trip out and playing with a toy truck before the attack, with images taken afterwards showing the youngster wrapped in bandages and in pain. Friends at the time said the distraught and frantic mum had yelled "my baby, my baby", describing the incident as a "callous, random attack" on a boy who "does not deserve this pain and suffering". Disturbing footage taken while Luka was in hospital shows him screaming in pain, with medics having wrapped him in cling film to prevent infections from developing. Luka's mother revealed in November that he has "healed really well", although he is "a bit wary of people' since the incident. Speaking to the Courier Mail she said: 'In those first few weeks, we had no idea what his future was going to look like, especially because the burns were so significant. He's healed really well and baby skin is amazing and the synthetic skin graft that they did worked really well.'
Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Daily Mirror
Police issue update on hunt for thug who poured scalding coffee on baby
WARNING - DISTRESSING CONTENT: Baby Luka was with his mum when a complete stranger poured boiling hot coffee over him, sparking public outrage and a worldwide manhunt A heartless thug who poured boiling hot coffee over a nine-month old baby boy is still on the run, with police insisting they are "working hard" to try and find the attacker nearly one year on. Nine-month-old Luka was with his mum and friends at a picnic at Hanlon Park in Coorparoo, Brisbane when a man, unknown to the group, threw coffee over the infant. The random attack in August last year sparked public outrage and it's believed the attacker, a 33-year-old male, has since fled Australia. Queensland Police Service Acting Commissioner Shane Chelepy issued an update on the investigation on Thursday. He told radio station 4BC that investigations into the 'horrible incident' were ongoing. "This was a horrible incident that happened almost a year ago, it struck our investigators pretty hard," he said. "I give credit to those investigators, they're still working very hard on this, this isn't something we've parked in a corner; this was a very serious offence, and we're working hard on it. 'What I can say is we're still working with our international partners to progress this matter and to get a resolution here. We've got a range of investigative strategies.' Detectives believe the attacker is a 33-year-old Chinese national who left Australia and returned to China via New Zealand shortly after the incident. Acting Commissioner Chelepy said he did not "want to compromise investigative strategies" when he was asked on air if Queensland Police had sent detectives to China. Luka suffered life-threatening burns to his face, upper body and arm as a result of the attack and, in total, sustained burns to 60 per cent of his body. The suspected attacker was captured on CCTV footage fleeing the scene but, despite those CCTV images being circulated worldwide, the attacker remains at large. According to Chinese media reports, the man had been in Australia on multiple visas and worked at various sites along the East Coast. Luka had been happily enjoying the trip out and playing with a toy truck before the attack, with images taken afterwards showing the youngster swaddled in bandages and in pain. Friends at the time said the distraught and frantic mum had yelled "my baby, my baby", describing the incident as a "callous, random attack" on a baby who "does not deserve this pain and suffering". Disturbing footage taken while Luka was in hospital shows him screaming in pain, with medics having wrapped him in cling film to prevent infections. Luka's mother revealed in November that he has "healed really well", although he is "a bit wary of people' since the incident. Speaking to the Courier Mail she said: 'In those first few weeks, we had no idea what his future was going to look like, especially because the burns were so significant. He's healed really well and baby skin is amazing and the synthetic skin graft that they did worked really well.'
7NEWS
2 days ago
- 7NEWS
Hunt for man who threw hot coffee on baby in Brisbane intensifies as police say they're ‘working hard'
Queensland Police have given a major update as their hunt for a Chinese national accused of throwing a scalding hot coffee over a baby intensifies. A nationwide manhunt turned into a global one in August 2024 after a man poured hot coffee on a baby in Brisbane's Hanlon Park, leaving him with 'life-changing injuries'. The baby, called Luka, was rushed to hospital and underwent a number of surgical procedures. He survived, but is expected to carry lifelong scarring as a result. Police released a photograph of the man who allegedly committed the crime, saying he was a Chinese national. But the man fled the country a short time later. Speaking on 4BC radio, Queensland Police Service Acting Commissioner Shane Chelepy said that 10 months later, the investigation was 'absolutely' ongoing. 'This was a horrible incident that happened almost a year ago, it struck our investigators pretty hard,' he said. 'I give credit to those investigators, they're still working very hard on this, this isn't something we've parked in the corner, this is a very serious offence, and they're working hard on it. 'What I can say is we're still working with our international partners to progress this matter, and to get a resolution here.' Mr Chelepy said he did not want to compromise the investigation by giving away too much information, and would not be drawn on whether detectives had travelled to China. 'There are a range of investigative strategies underway, and we're going to keep these strategies at play,' he said. 'I don't want to compromise (the) investigative strategy.' The man's name has not been released and no other details about his identity have been revealed to the public. Luka's parents wrote on a GoFundMe page last year about the devastating toll the attack had had on their family. 'It's a long road to recovery when it comes to scar management, but the worst of it is over, and the outcome is far better than we ever imagined from those first few days,' his mum wrote. 'We now only have to attend outpatients once a week, a big improvement from the twice-a-week general anaesthetic surgeries.' His mother had previously written about how she hoped 'one day justice will be served'.
West Australian
2 days ago
- West Australian
Hunt for man who threw hot coffee on baby in Brisbane intensifies as police say they're ‘working hard'
Queensland Police have given a major update as their hunt for a Chinese national accused of throwing a scalding hot coffee over a baby intensifies. A nationwide manhunt turned into a global one in August 2024 after a man poured hot coffee on a baby in Brisbane's Hanlon Park, leaving him with 'life-changing injuries'. The baby, called Luka, was rushed to hospital and underwent a number of surgical procedures. He survived, but is expected to carry lifelong scarring as a result. Police released a photograph of the man who allegedly committed the crime, saying he was a Chinese national. But the man fled the country a short time later. Speaking on 4BC radio, Queensland Police Service Acting Commissioner Shane Chelepy said that 10 months later, the investigation was 'absolutely' ongoing. 'This was a horrible incident that happened almost a year ago, it struck our investigators pretty hard,' he said. 'I give credit to those investigators, they're still working very hard on this, this isn't something we've parked in the corner, this is a very serious offence, and they're working hard on it. 'What I can say is we're still working with our international partners to progress this matter, and to get a resolution here.' Mr Chelepy said he did not want to compromise the investigation by giving away too much information, and would not be drawn on whether detectives had travelled to China. 'There are a range of investigative strategies underway, and we're going to keep these strategies at play,' he said. 'I don't want to compromise (the) investigative strategy.' The man's name has not been released and no other details about his identity have been revealed to the public. Luka's parents wrote on a GoFundMe page last year about the devastating toll the attack had had on their family. 'It's a long road to recovery when it comes to scar management, but the worst of it is over, and the outcome is far better than we ever imagined from those first few days,' his mum wrote. 'We now only have to attend outpatients once a week, a big improvement from the twice-a-week general anaesthetic surgeries.' His mother had previously written about how she hoped 'one day justice will be served'. 'This horrific event should have never happened,' she said.
Perth Now
2 days ago
- Perth Now
Police give update on hunt for man who threw coffee on baby
Queensland Police have given a major update as their hunt for a Chinese national accused of throwing a scalding hot coffee over a baby intensifies. A nationwide manhunt turned into a global one in August 2024 after a man poured hot coffee on a baby in Brisbane's Hanlon Park, leaving him with 'life-changing injuries'. The baby, called Luka, was rushed to hospital and underwent a number of surgical procedures. He survived, but is expected to carry lifelong scarring as a result. Police released a photograph of the man who allegedly committed the crime, saying he was a Chinese national. But the man fled the country a short time later. Speaking on 4BC radio, Queensland Police Service Acting Commissioner Shane Chelepy said that 10 months later, the investigation was 'absolutely' ongoing. 'This was a horrible incident that happened almost a year ago, it struck our investigators pretty hard,' he said. 'I give credit to those investigators, they're still working very hard on this, this isn't something we've parked in the corner, this is a very serious offence, and they're working hard on it. 'What I can say is we're still working with our international partners to progress this matter, and to get a resolution here.' Mr Chelepy said he did not want to compromise the investigation by giving away too much information, and would not be drawn on whether detectives had travelled to China. 'There are a range of investigative strategies underway, and we're going to keep these strategies at play,' he said. 'I don't want to compromise (the) investigative strategy.' Police have released CCTV footage of the man they want to speak to after coffee was thrown on a baby. Credit: AAP The man's name has not been released and no other details about his identity have been revealed to the public. Luka's parents wrote on a GoFundMe page last year about the devastating toll the attack had had on their family. 'It's a long road to recovery when it comes to scar management, but the worst of it is over, and the outcome is far better than we ever imagined from those first few days,' his mum wrote. 'We now only have to attend outpatients once a week, a big improvement from the twice-a-week general anaesthetic surgeries.' His mother had previously written about how she hoped 'one day justice will be served'. 'This horrific event should have never happened,' she said.
