A seasoned investigator claimed that a foreign national who is accused of throwing a cup of coffee over a baby in a public park in Brisbane on August 27 may have intentionally left a trail of fake clues in order to avoid capture.
The nine-month-old boy, Luka, suffered severe burns to his body and face after he was attacked.
The incident prompted a massive manhunt, but it took authorities several days to identify the suspect. Luka, who was in the hospital, was discharged on Wednesday.
On Monday, the Queensland Police revealed that the suspect flew out of the country using his own passport.
Paul Dalton, a detective inspector, said that the police lost their chance to catch the suspect after they got mistakenly told that he was a different person.
He believed the suspect might have used various strategies to avoid getting detected. According to Charlie Bezzina, a homicide detective, the man could have tried to evade law enforcers by using cash and his mobile phone.
According to Bezzina, the suspect may have also tried to call in fake tips in order to get away from law enforcers. He said one method of this would be by using a fake name and leaving his phone at a convenient location. Another method would be by avoiding using credit cards by booking a motel using a different name.
Bezzina noted that the suspect might have also tried to use various counter-surveillance strategies to avoid getting detected.
He said the suspect might have been thinking of ways to get away from law enforcers even while he was on the run. One of these strategies might be to play a cat-and-mouse game with the police.
The suspect’s choice of methods to elude law enforcement is unacceptable, especially considering the nature of the crime he is accused of committing.
Mr Bezzina said the police may have been trying to lure the suspect into a false sense of safety by not revealing his identity.
He noted that the suspect’s attempts to avoid justice would fail in the long run. He said countries in third-world nations may not have the necessary care factors when it comes to crimes committed outside of their borders.
However, the horrific act that the suspect is accused of carrying out would affect the hearts of governments and law enforcers all around the world.
No one would want to see this image of the suspect, who is accused of committing a heinous crime, associated with their country.
The Queensland Police said on Monday that the man made numerous calculated movements following the attack. He was seen going on foot and by train.
Following the incident, the suspect went to the southern suburb of Tarragindi and changed his clothes in front of a church.
He then took a rideshare car and made his way to Caxton Street in the central part of the city before finally reaching Sydney on August 28. Initially, the trail was cold.
But, it has since been revealed that the suspect then traveled to Sydney via car.