September 10, 2024 • 11 mins
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Wake up with Robin and kid.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Hello, Luca's mum.
Speaker 3 (00:08):
Hello, good morning mate.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
How's Luca?
Speaker 3 (00:12):
He's not too bad. We're actually just leaving the hospital
now today. He had a bit of gashtro over the weekend,
so can't catch a break.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
No, you really can't. So are you not you're now home?
Speaker 3 (00:25):
No, we're not. We're just leaving the hospital today.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
And so have you been visiting sort of on and off?
You taking day visit?
Speaker 3 (00:32):
Yeah, we were in hospital for just over a week
and then we went home for a couple of days.
And then when we went in through his fourth surgery,
he had spiked to fever and that's the gash row
that he had, So we had to stay in over
the weekend. And we're leaving, yeah, today, and we'll be
back on Friday. So we'll be ongoing surgeries a number
(00:53):
of weeks.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
Can I ask you you were sitting in a park
with your baby. I mean, you were just minding your
own business. What happened? Did you see this person coming? No?
Speaker 3 (01:06):
I didn't. He came from behind me and I was
opening out the park for five minutes if that, and
I was taking photos of my son playing with his
toy car. Because he had been sick for a couple
of weeks before that, so it was nice to get out.
And he came over from behind and threw this liquid
onto my son and ran away. So I didn't realize
(01:29):
what it was at the time, but then Luca started
screaming and I could see his skin peeling off, and
I knew it was hot liquid, and I smelt the coffee.
But yeah, that's what happened.
Speaker 1 (01:43):
And that's your local park, right set your instrument. It's
not your local park. So I lived on the north side,
so why were you there?
Speaker 3 (01:52):
Because my friends live on the south side and I
was catching up with it was supposed to be two
of my other mum's group friends and unfortunately one of
them didn't even make it because this all happened within
five minutes, So yeah, they were on the I don't
normally live on the south side. I don't normally go
on the south side. I'm from North Brisbane.
Speaker 2 (02:13):
Gracious me. I mean, I think this story has just appalled.
I can't think of another story where it's just rocked people.
Because this is your baby. You had no idea who
this person was when you realized, and obviously your attention
was with on Luca. What did anyone look at him
(02:34):
or try and stop him? Like what I mean, he
just took off.
Speaker 3 (02:38):
Yeah, my friend who was there with her baby, actually
left her baby and me and started running after this guy.
But she tripped fell and he had He was very
very fast. So and then when I started screaming for
help and that it was hot liquid, she came running
back to help me. And the park was fairly empty.
There wasn't really anyone else there apart from another mum
(03:00):
with her children on the playground, So yeah, it was
it was fairly empty. So he knew exactly what he
was doing, and he chose the right time, and you know,
no one else could really chase after him, apart from
my friend, and unfortunately he was too quick to her.
Speaker 1 (03:18):
And your husband was looking after You've got is it
a three year old?
Speaker 3 (03:23):
Yeah, she's four. She's my stepdaughter. Yeah, and she she
was with, yeah, my partner, and they were at Chamside
shopping center at the time, and I called them in
hysterics once. I was in the shower with Luca at
this nurse's apartment, and so she heard all the commotion
and everything because it was actually through the car speaker science. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (03:48):
I mean I'm in two minds when I when I
talk to you about this, because on one hand, I
don't want to give this guy any airtime. How do
you feel about him?
Speaker 3 (04:00):
That's a very hard question, and I'm the same as you.
I don't want to give him any more of my time.
But I am very angry and it's sad and that
this has happened and that he's not here anymore, and
that we have to wait, you know, maybe years to
get justice to him. But my main focus is my son.
(04:24):
But this guy does come into my thoughts all the
time because I just get I get really really angry
that he could do such a thing to a defenseless baby.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
I get angry for you. I mean, I've got a
baby at home, so I guess it's very and to
be honest, I couldn't even when the new story came
on that night, I couldn't watch it. We had to
turn it off because it was too hard to understand
and too terrifying to think that somebody could have attacked
an innocent baby. So I get furious. I've had dreams,
(04:54):
not dreams, but I've had thought I want to get
this guy. You know what I mean, And I can
imagine your partner and you would be the same.
Speaker 3 (05:02):
Oh, yes, my partner wish if he was there that day.
I mean, it probably wouldn't have happened if he was there. Yeah,
you know, if he was there, he definitely would have
caught this guy himself. But yeah, I think the whole
of Australia are especially a lot of you know, you know,
mums and people with children are furious and angry and
(05:22):
really was this guy to be caught. I've had thousands
upon thousands of messages from people all across the world
getting in contact with me, you know, and sending their love,
which I'm really grateful for. And I had made it
a little bit easier, I guess this journey knowing that
everyone is behind us, and you know, I'm really grateful
(05:46):
for everything.
Speaker 2 (05:47):
Well, let's switch focus onto your beautiful baby, Luca. The hospital,
I'm sure I have been fantastic. Yeah, what's going to
happen with him moving forward? You said, what three or
four operations already?
Speaker 3 (06:00):
He's had five. Yesterday was the one where they it's
called BTM and it's like a synthetic draft that they
placed on top. It also promotes healing. So that's that's
happened yesterday. And we'll be coming back and forth from
the hospital every four days for dressing changes and just
(06:22):
to see how everything is going. And within sort of
four weeks we should know how much of the area
should need a skin graft.
Speaker 2 (06:31):
What about scarring, can you tell me exactly where it is?
Speaker 3 (06:34):
I mean it was on his face on the on
the web side, and his shoulder and chest, But the
face is going to be okay. It's just the neck
and the chest and there will be scarring. But they
have told us that there's lots of things that they
can do, you know, over the years with laboring and
skin needling and the.
Speaker 1 (06:56):
Scarf, and so the doctors are pretty hopeful that as
far as movement things like that, Luke is going to
be fine.
Speaker 3 (07:02):
It should be okay. But he does have routine SELO
and things like that to help with up.
Speaker 2 (07:08):
Tell me how he is within himself.
Speaker 3 (07:10):
Oh, he is amazing. He is so strong and brave
and you know, he's always smiling through it. And if
he didn't have all these bandages and he wasn't in hospital,
you wouldn't know that this has happened to him. He
has been our strength through it all, and he keeps
us going. He's doing better than you know, than we are,
and he's doing better than I would be if I
(07:31):
was in his position. He's such a brave, resiliant little boy,
which obviously makes me even more upset that this has happened.
Speaker 1 (07:40):
What about your four year old, because I guess she's
at an age that she can understand a bit of
what happened. She recovering okay from it?
Speaker 3 (07:47):
Yeah, she is, she's doing really well. Initially, she was
quite frightened and saying, you know, I hope the bad
guy doesn't get me. But yeah, she thinks that the
bad guys no longer around. So I think she's that's
what we've told her, and she's slowly moving forward, and
she understands a little bit of what's going on with Luther,
(08:09):
and she loves Lucer and she's, yeah, she's amazing with him.
Speaker 1 (08:14):
Speaking of the bad guy not being around, do you
what we've known so far as that he's left the country.
As far as I understand it, police aren't even going
to say what country he's gone to because that might
affected the investigator investigation.
Speaker 3 (08:26):
Is that what you've heard Yeah, that's that's correct. They
said it could jeopardize the case if they did that.
Speaker 2 (08:31):
Do you want him back here?
Speaker 3 (08:33):
I do for justice. I don't want him to just
get away with this and to live a normal life
wherever he is, because we're going to be living, you know,
in trauma for a number of years to come. So
I do want him to come back to get justice
fully to him in Australia, and I think everyone here
would also want that.
Speaker 2 (08:52):
You are at the cold face of this, this is
your heart, this is your family. How can we help you?
Speaker 3 (08:57):
I mean, you know, just whatever one has already been
doing is you know, sharing the posts and keeping the
story alive and hoping that you know, this guy can
come back and be justice can be had for Luca.
And I did want to you know, there is a
go fund me that my friends set up and I
did want to thank every single person that has donated.
(09:18):
We obviously can't reach out to everyone. That money will
definitely ensure that Luca has you know, a positive and
bright future and that we do too, So I just
wanted to thank everyone for donating and for thinking of us.
Speaker 2 (09:33):
Yeah, it's on our screen that our producers have just
found it baby Luca's treatment and so putting some money
in there will really help your family with Luca's ongoing
graphs and all that sort of stuff.
Speaker 3 (09:45):
Yeah, that's right, and just it's more, you know, Phusot
asked to be able to be with him through this
journey and you have some time off work and things
like that, and counseling is support and things like that
for me and my partner and our family. So you know,
it's affected us greatly as well. So all this money
is going to be put good use. Great.
Speaker 1 (10:07):
Have you been able to sleep here? It sounds like
this has been about the busiest time of your life.
Speaker 3 (10:11):
No. I haven't been able to sleep. I am constantly
waking up, tossing and turning, having nightmares, panic attack. It
does bring a little bit of comfort knowing that he's
actually not here anymore in Australia, because I did have
massive anxiety that he might hurt us again, because I
just can't understand why this happened.
Speaker 2 (10:31):
Yeah, I mean that's the thing. It's so traumatic for everyone.
It's like this is you had. He's completely random to you, right,
like there is no no.
Speaker 3 (10:40):
No, there's no connection at all. And you know, I
spent days thinking who is this person? How might he
know me? Because otherwise it just doesn't make sense. But yeah,
absolutely no connection to this person. Never seen him before,
and neither as my family or anyone that we know.
It's very unfortunate. You know, we live in such a
(11:01):
great country and I just never thought that this would happen.
Speaker 2 (11:05):
No, no one did. Well, let us know there's anything
else we can do if in the future things change,
or that you just need to get some publicity out there,
or we can help you with your kids.
Speaker 3 (11:17):
Thank you, appreciate it. Well, hopefully you know the next
time there's more information about about this guy.
Speaker 1 (11:23):
Yeah, Justice, absolutely, thank you so much for sharing.
Speaker 3 (11:28):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (11:30):
Wake up with Robin and kid.
Wake up with Robin and kid.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Hello, Luca's mum.
Speaker 3 (00:08):
Hello, good morning mate.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
How's Luca?
Speaker 3 (00:12):
He's not too bad. We're actually just leaving the hospital
now today. He had a bit of gashtro over the weekend,
so can't catch a break.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
No, you really can't. So are you not you're now home?
Speaker 3 (00:25):
No, we're not. We're just leaving the hospital today.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
And so have you been visiting sort of on and off?
You taking day visit?
Speaker 3 (00:32):
Yeah, we were in hospital for just over a week
and then we went home for a couple of days.
And then when we went in through his fourth surgery,
he had spiked to fever and that's the gash row
that he had, So we had to stay in over
the weekend. And we're leaving, yeah, today, and we'll be
back on Friday. So we'll be ongoing surgeries a number
(00:53):
of weeks.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
Can I ask you you were sitting in a park
with your baby. I mean, you were just minding your
own business. What happened? Did you see this person coming? No?
Speaker 3 (01:06):
I didn't. He came from behind me and I was
opening out the park for five minutes if that, and
I was taking photos of my son playing with his
toy car. Because he had been sick for a couple
of weeks before that, so it was nice to get out.
And he came over from behind and threw this liquid
onto my son and ran away. So I didn't realize
(01:29):
what it was at the time, but then Luca started
screaming and I could see his skin peeling off, and
I knew it was hot liquid, and I smelt the coffee.
But yeah, that's what happened.
Speaker 1 (01:43):
And that's your local park, right set your instrument. It's
not your local park. So I lived on the north side,
so why were you there?
Speaker 3 (01:52):
Because my friends live on the south side and I
was catching up with it was supposed to be two
of my other mum's group friends and unfortunately one of
them didn't even make it because this all happened within
five minutes, So yeah, they were on the I don't
normally live on the south side. I don't normally go
on the south side. I'm from North Brisbane.
Speaker 2 (02:13):
Gracious me. I mean, I think this story has just appalled.
I can't think of another story where it's just rocked people.
Because this is your baby. You had no idea who
this person was when you realized, and obviously your attention
was with on Luca. What did anyone look at him
(02:34):
or try and stop him? Like what I mean, he
just took off.
Speaker 3 (02:38):
Yeah, my friend who was there with her baby, actually
left her baby and me and started running after this guy.
But she tripped fell and he had He was very
very fast. So and then when I started screaming for
help and that it was hot liquid, she came running
back to help me. And the park was fairly empty.
There wasn't really anyone else there apart from another mum
(03:00):
with her children on the playground, So yeah, it was
it was fairly empty. So he knew exactly what he
was doing, and he chose the right time, and you know,
no one else could really chase after him, apart from
my friend, and unfortunately he was too quick to her.
Speaker 1 (03:18):
And your husband was looking after You've got is it
a three year old?
Speaker 3 (03:23):
Yeah, she's four. She's my stepdaughter. Yeah, and she she
was with, yeah, my partner, and they were at Chamside
shopping center at the time, and I called them in
hysterics once. I was in the shower with Luca at
this nurse's apartment, and so she heard all the commotion
and everything because it was actually through the car speaker science. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (03:48):
I mean I'm in two minds when I when I
talk to you about this, because on one hand, I
don't want to give this guy any airtime. How do
you feel about him?
Speaker 3 (04:00):
That's a very hard question, and I'm the same as you.
I don't want to give him any more of my time.
But I am very angry and it's sad and that
this has happened and that he's not here anymore, and
that we have to wait, you know, maybe years to
get justice to him. But my main focus is my son.
(04:24):
But this guy does come into my thoughts all the
time because I just get I get really really angry
that he could do such a thing to a defenseless baby.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
I get angry for you. I mean, I've got a
baby at home, so I guess it's very and to
be honest, I couldn't even when the new story came
on that night, I couldn't watch it. We had to
turn it off because it was too hard to understand
and too terrifying to think that somebody could have attacked
an innocent baby. So I get furious. I've had dreams,
(04:54):
not dreams, but I've had thought I want to get
this guy. You know what I mean, And I can
imagine your partner and you would be the same.
Speaker 3 (05:02):
Oh, yes, my partner wish if he was there that day.
I mean, it probably wouldn't have happened if he was there. Yeah,
you know, if he was there, he definitely would have
caught this guy himself. But yeah, I think the whole
of Australia are especially a lot of you know, you know,
mums and people with children are furious and angry and
(05:22):
really was this guy to be caught. I've had thousands
upon thousands of messages from people all across the world
getting in contact with me, you know, and sending their love,
which I'm really grateful for. And I had made it
a little bit easier, I guess this journey knowing that
everyone is behind us, and you know, I'm really grateful
(05:46):
for everything.
Speaker 2 (05:47):
Well, let's switch focus onto your beautiful baby, Luca. The hospital,
I'm sure I have been fantastic. Yeah, what's going to
happen with him moving forward? You said, what three or
four operations already?
Speaker 3 (06:00):
He's had five. Yesterday was the one where they it's
called BTM and it's like a synthetic draft that they
placed on top. It also promotes healing. So that's that's
happened yesterday. And we'll be coming back and forth from
the hospital every four days for dressing changes and just
(06:22):
to see how everything is going. And within sort of
four weeks we should know how much of the area
should need a skin graft.
Speaker 2 (06:31):
What about scarring, can you tell me exactly where it is?
Speaker 3 (06:34):
I mean it was on his face on the on
the web side, and his shoulder and chest, But the
face is going to be okay. It's just the neck
and the chest and there will be scarring. But they
have told us that there's lots of things that they
can do, you know, over the years with laboring and
skin needling and the.
Speaker 1 (06:56):
Scarf, and so the doctors are pretty hopeful that as
far as movement things like that, Luke is going to
be fine.
Speaker 3 (07:02):
It should be okay. But he does have routine SELO
and things like that to help with up.
Speaker 2 (07:08):
Tell me how he is within himself.
Speaker 3 (07:10):
Oh, he is amazing. He is so strong and brave
and you know, he's always smiling through it. And if
he didn't have all these bandages and he wasn't in hospital,
you wouldn't know that this has happened to him. He
has been our strength through it all, and he keeps
us going. He's doing better than you know, than we are,
and he's doing better than I would be if I
(07:31):
was in his position. He's such a brave, resiliant little boy,
which obviously makes me even more upset that this has happened.
Speaker 1 (07:40):
What about your four year old, because I guess she's
at an age that she can understand a bit of
what happened. She recovering okay from it?
Speaker 3 (07:47):
Yeah, she is, she's doing really well. Initially, she was
quite frightened and saying, you know, I hope the bad
guy doesn't get me. But yeah, she thinks that the
bad guys no longer around. So I think she's that's
what we've told her, and she's slowly moving forward, and
she understands a little bit of what's going on with Luther,
(08:09):
and she loves Lucer and she's, yeah, she's amazing with him.
Speaker 1 (08:14):
Speaking of the bad guy not being around, do you
what we've known so far as that he's left the country.
As far as I understand it, police aren't even going
to say what country he's gone to because that might
affected the investigator investigation.
Speaker 3 (08:26):
Is that what you've heard Yeah, that's that's correct. They
said it could jeopardize the case if they did that.
Speaker 2 (08:31):
Do you want him back here?
Speaker 3 (08:33):
I do for justice. I don't want him to just
get away with this and to live a normal life
wherever he is, because we're going to be living, you know,
in trauma for a number of years to come. So
I do want him to come back to get justice
fully to him in Australia, and I think everyone here
would also want that.
Speaker 2 (08:52):
You are at the cold face of this, this is
your heart, this is your family. How can we help you?
Speaker 3 (08:57):
I mean, you know, just whatever one has already been
doing is you know, sharing the posts and keeping the
story alive and hoping that you know, this guy can
come back and be justice can be had for Luca.
And I did want to you know, there is a
go fund me that my friends set up and I
did want to thank every single person that has donated.
(09:18):
We obviously can't reach out to everyone. That money will
definitely ensure that Luca has you know, a positive and
bright future and that we do too, So I just
wanted to thank everyone for donating and for thinking of us.
Speaker 2 (09:33):
Yeah, it's on our screen that our producers have just
found it baby Luca's treatment and so putting some money
in there will really help your family with Luca's ongoing
graphs and all that sort of stuff.
Speaker 3 (09:45):
Yeah, that's right, and just it's more, you know, Phusot
asked to be able to be with him through this
journey and you have some time off work and things
like that, and counseling is support and things like that
for me and my partner and our family. So you know,
it's affected us greatly as well. So all this money
is going to be put good use. Great.
Speaker 1 (10:07):
Have you been able to sleep here? It sounds like
this has been about the busiest time of your life.
Speaker 3 (10:11):
No. I haven't been able to sleep. I am constantly
waking up, tossing and turning, having nightmares, panic attack. It
does bring a little bit of comfort knowing that he's
actually not here anymore in Australia, because I did have
massive anxiety that he might hurt us again, because I
just can't understand why this happened.
Speaker 2 (10:31):
Yeah, I mean that's the thing. It's so traumatic for everyone.
It's like this is you had. He's completely random to you, right,
like there is no no.
Speaker 3 (10:40):
No, there's no connection at all. And you know, I
spent days thinking who is this person? How might he
know me? Because otherwise it just doesn't make sense. But yeah,
absolutely no connection to this person. Never seen him before,
and neither as my family or anyone that we know.
It's very unfortunate. You know, we live in such a
(11:01):
great country and I just never thought that this would happen.
Speaker 2 (11:05):
No, no one did. Well, let us know there's anything
else we can do if in the future things change,
or that you just need to get some publicity out there,
or we can help you with your kids.
Speaker 3 (11:17):
Thank you, appreciate it. Well, hopefully you know the next
time there's more information about about this guy.
Speaker 1 (11:23):
Yeah, Justice, absolutely, thank you so much for sharing.
Speaker 3 (11:28):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (11:30):
Wake up with Robin and kid.
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