China is sending a team to help the Australian authorities catch a man who allegedly doused a nine-month-old baby with scalding coffee in 2024.
The attack occurred in a Brisbane park on 27 August 2024, and left the baby with burns to his face, neck, chest, and limbs. The child later underwent eight surgeries, including grafts and laser treatments.
The man, who has been pictured from CCTV footage but not named, reportedly fled to China soon after the incident. His whereabouts remain unknown.
China's ambassador to Australia, Xiao Qian, confirmed on Thursday that they had sent a “working group” to Brisbane to help with the investigation.
“I’m not sure if I should announce this at this moment, but there’s going to be a working group from China coming to Brisbane,” Mr Xiao said.
“We are now preparing for the working group to come, so we are serious in addressing this concern, and we’re serious in taking the necessary actions.”
Mr Xiao said the team would work with the Australian police to “see what exactly happened, how it happened, and how both sides can work together as a follow-up”.
China and Australia do not have an extradition treaty. “China has extraterritorial jurisdiction to prosecute its citizens for conduct which occurs outside China,” the Queensland Police and the Australian Federal Police said in a joint statement.
It added that they were “supporting a delegation of Chinese authorities” and thanked the visiting team for their “ongoing cooperation”.
The Queensland Police previously released CCTV footage of the man fleeing the park in a plaid shirt and cargo shorts. He’s suspected to have boarded a flight out of Sydney four days later.
The baby’s mother said the attack had left her with anxiety about going out in public with her son. “I will always have fear and anxiety being out in public with my son. It’s affected my mental health for the rest of my life,” she said.
She still had no idea who the attacker was, the woman said. “It sounds like they were very, very close to catching him. This obviously means that we’re going to have to wait who knows how long to get justice for our son,” she said. “It’s heartbreaking.”
The Australian police have issued an arrest warrant for the man for acts intending to cause bodily harm, a charge that carries life imprisonment in the country.
The police said the suspect was an itinerant worker, who had travelled back and forth to Australia several times since 2019 and lived in both New South Wales and Victoria.
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